History of Chiropractic Care

The practice of keeping the body healthy by sustaining an appropriately aligned spinal column may have its roots in the ancient times where Greeks and Chinese wrote about spinal manipulations to ease body pain. Nevertheless, it was only after Daniel David Palmer of Iowa learned about spine adjustments that modern-day chiropractic care was born.

In 1895, D.D. Palmer did the first ever chiropractic adjustment on Harvey Lillard who became partially deaf following a "pop" in his back while working in a confined space. Upon examination, Palmer found a sore lump he thought was from a spinal misalignment that was responsible for Lillard's reduced hearing. The misaligned vertebrae were corrected and Lillard stated his hearing got better a couple of days later. Rev. Samuel Weed named Palmer's procedure of treatment "chiropractic" from the Greek words "cheiros" and "praktikos" which means, "done by hand." Two years later, Palmer opened the Palmer School of Chiropractic in the town of Davenport. His son B.J. Palmer developed and broadened the practice into the early part of the 20th century.

One of the popular health care occupations, chiropractic care is a non-invasive approach that focuses primarily on the neuromusculoskeletal system. Chiropractic specialists follow a hands-on method in giving preventive care and treatment for health issues including the spinal column, nervous system joints and pelvis. Examination of patients showed chiropractic care could boost the over-all health of the patient once neuromusculoskeletal conditions are treated.

Chiropractic therapy does not depend on medications however banks on the body's ability to heal itself. A chiropractic practitioner does spinal adjustments or manipulations to the spine. It is thought that the positioning of the spinal column influences the different regions of the body. Any sort of subluxation or misalignment creates sickness, pain, and restricted movements. It is furthermore utilized to cure neck pain, shoulder discomfort, joint pain and swelling, muscle spasms and a lot more.