What is the Palmer Technique?
We are often asked by people who are looking for a new chiropractor if we do the “Palmer Technique”? The short answer is yes, that is one of the techniques we use here at Reed Chiropractic. But what is the Palmer Technique. The word ‘chiropractic’ comes from the Greek words chiro (meaning ‘hand’) and praktos (meaning ‘done’), i.e., done by hand. Manual healing methods can be traced back to ancient times; however, it was not until the late 19th century that the chiropractic profession in the United States began to take shape.
Daniel David Palmer (D.D. Palmer) is considered The Founder of Chiropractic and is credited with giving the first chiropractic adjustment in 1895. He also established the first chiropractic school in 1897 in Davenport, Iowa. From that point forward, Palmer and others continued to refine chiropractic manual adjusting techniques.
The Palmer School of Chiropractic is the first schools of chiropractic and referred to as the “Fountain Head”. The school, founded by D.D. Palmer, teaches a system of spinal adjustment called the H.I.O. (“hole in one”),” whereby the atlas (the first vertebra at the top of the spine) is adjusted in different directions, depending upon measurements made on an X-ray film. This often translated to be the “Palmer Technique”.
Bartlett Joshua (B.J.) Palmer, D.C., the son of D.D. Palmer, is known as The Developer of Chiropractic. He became the dominant force in chiropractic after D.D.’s death in 1913 and is recognized for his work in bringing chiropractic to prominence in health care. B.J. also expanded on the analysis and technique of vertebral subluxations.
Although the Palmer School still teaches the H.I.O. system the school has adopted an examination of the entire spine in determining and treating spinal subluxations. This includes the instruction of multiple spinal adjusting techniques to include, but not limited to-Gonstead Technique, Thompson Drop Table Technique, Motion Palpation Technique, Activator Technique and Full Spine Technique, to reference a few.
Chiropractors may offer a variety of adjusting techniques or variations of an adjusting technique. Regardless of the technique, the chiropractor should have a method of evaluation and a mode of adjusting that restores motion to specific joints and in so doing reduces stress to the nervous system.
All chiropractors should utilize a technique with the resultant goal of restoring motion to the spine and reducing nervous system stress. The approach may vary from chiropractor to chiropractor, but the end result should be the same-restoration and maintenance of spinal health. The Chiropractors at Reed Chiropractic utilize the techniques of specific spinal analysis and adjusting with this goal in mind-experience the results for yourself.
If you would like to see if the Palmer Chiropractic Technique is right for you, schedule an appointment with one of our Tempe Chiropractors here at Reed Chiropractic.
