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Who Is More Qualified When It Comes To The Care Of Your Spine?
There have been a lot of patients that come into the office saying "Oh, my massage therapist tried to "crack" my back." or "I went to physio the other day and my neck was really stiff so the therapist tried to put my neck back in place." I just want to give you a strong reminder that your spine houses the most important system in your body, the nervous system. It runs absolutely everything in your body and without it your body would not work. Think of the nervous system as the chip in your computer or the engine in your car, without it the outside will look good but there is no way for the device to function. Ask Christopher Reeve (Superman) what he thinks of just having his vertebrae cracked…remember he can't walk or even breath on his own anymore.
Here is a comparison of the number of classroom hours various health care professionals spend on spinal adjustment and it demonstrates that doctors of chiropractic are the only qualified health care professionals in Canada extensively trained in adjustment techniques.
Physical Therapists;
Physical therapist are starting to emerge with the idea that they can do what chiropractors do. One study queried 10 physical therapy schools -- NONE taught spinal adjusting or held doctorate programs of any kind. So do you think it is a good idea to let one of them learn on you? Physical therapists are good at helping people recover or regain strength after a traumatic accidents or surgery. There is certainly a need for them, but maybe it might be a good idea for them to stick with what they do best and leave alignment of the human frame to the experts.
Medical Doctors;
NO adjustment training is given or available for M.D.s in medical school curricula. Although few Medical doctors are starting to attend a 12 hour weekend seminar, so they can claim expertise in "chiropractic medicine" or what they like to call "manual medicine" as well. Isn't it funny that there has been such a rift between the medical and chiropractic establishment for over one hundred years and just recently they are starting to claim expertise in our field?! It seems someone would rather claim to be what they are not, than to eat crow.
Osteopaths;
A survey of osteopathetic schools found that most schools generally offer spinal manipulation only on a 60 hour elective basis. Today only a very small percentage practice what they call manipulation, which is far different from a specific chiropractic adjustment.
Chiropractors;
In comparison, the clinical portion of the chiropractic college curriculum includes an average of 975 hours in adjustive & spinal analysis. In addition, during internship, 800 plus hours of hands-on clinical experience are focused on adjustment as the primary procedure. Under the auspices of all chiropractic colleges, students are required to pass a practical examination on their adjustment skills and a clinical competency exam prior to this internship.
So the next time when someone tells you that "it is easy" and that "they have done it a million times before" remember what they are affecting and what the repercussions of it is, and could be. A patient came into the office a week after she had someone who was "trained" in general manipulation "fix" her mid-back. After the "crack" she immediately was nauseous and has been in significant discomfort for two weeks since. You do not have to learn by experience because what could happen to you could be much worse. Your health is the most precious, yet most fragile, thing you have…sometimes when it is gone it can not be returned. Leave your health to the specialists who were trained extensively in the treatment of that area. If I took a weekend seminar on heart surgery would you be the first in line on Monday to let me try out what I learnt on you? Think about it, it's your body and your life.
Yours in health,
Dr. K.B. Jenkins, D.C.
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