Thompson Drop Technique

Thompson Drop technique was named after J. Clay Thompson, DC, PhC.  Many years prior to the development of the Thompson Drop Technique, a younger Thompson was injured at work in the John Deere factory. He experienced a major head injury, soon after developed diabetes. The medical doctors determined he was terminally ill and his condition was bleak. His father recommended he go see a chiropractor. After some hesitation, he started care with a chiropractor and 16 days later all of his symptoms were resolved. It was some 10 years later that Mr. Thompson decided to go to Palmer School of Chiropractic where he would excel.

During his development and practice as a Chiropractor, Dr. Thompson realized the techniques created fatigue for the doctors and discomfort for some patients. With these in mind he worked to develop a low-force adjusting method-the Thompson Technique.

This technique uses “drop pieces” which elevated with a lever controlled by the Chiropractor. A specific amount of tension is set on the drop piece as the patient is lying down. As the Chiropractor applies a specific force to the segment needing adjusted the patient’s spine and the drop piece move downward. The drop piece reaches its end-point and stops while the spinal segment continues in motion creating an adjustive force. Dr. Thompson worked as an engineer prior to becoming a chiropractor and understood biomechanics and Newtonian physics helping him to develop this low-force method of adjusting.

This system of “drop adjustments” takes advantage of the design of the spinal joints in order to move the spinal segment in the direction that will improve the motion of that segment with the one above and below. Dr. Thompson stated, “By eliminating spinal subluxations in an organized, orderly fashion, from ‘top to bottom and inside out’, the [Thompson] practitioner will begin to verify the corrections he is making on the patient’s spine.

The Thompson Technique is a full-spine adjusting technique that maintains high-velocity, low-force procedures using the drop table as a necessary adjunct. The doctors at Reed Chiropractic understand that different patients have different needs when it comes to spinal adjusting and Thompson Technique is one of many tools utilized to create the most effective and lasting treatment in patient management.

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