When I was in Chiropractic school, I was introduced to the concept that there is a Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic. While in school, we definitely focused on the science aspect of being a chiropractic provider. The vast majority of my classes the first year and half were on science. I took classes like anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, histology, radiology and central nervous system.
It was easy to see why these classes were important as I progressed through school, advancing to courses like Physical Diagnosis and Pathophysiology. It was during these courses that we took the “science” that we learned and applied it to how the body functions, how it breakdowns and how it repairs. This was the necessary knowledge base to be a health care provider: knowing the functions of the human body and how to intervene to improve a person’s health.
As I was introduced to the basis of our care in chiropractic, the manual adjustment, it became apparent that this is where the “Art” of chiropractic was expressed. Today, there are over 100 different techniques for treating patients in chiropractic. The majority were developed by pioneers in our profession who consistently found new ways that worked for them to influence a person’s health and achieve better outcomes. For most providers, we gravitate to a technique that meets the goals of the care we want to provide. For some, it’s a light force technique, others do more soft tissue manipulation and some continue to do traditional manual adjustments. If you visit 10 different chiropractors, you’re going to experience 10 different treatment styles. Herein lies the art. There is no real right or wrong way to provide chiropractic adjustments. The goal is to find the one that works best for you. Unfortunately, not all chiropractors commit to becoming highly skilled adjustors and when you visit a skilled clinician, you know. The adjustments feel different; and the results are different.
Personally, I’ve spent every day focusing on improving my adjusting skills, monitoring what works and what doesn’t, and what works the best in certain cases. Truly, there is no “one size fits all” adjustment as each person’s spine and body composition are unique. Some of my favorite patient visits are with folks that have moved away or gone off to college and tried other chiropractors and come back saying how they’ve missed my adjustments. While that sounds pretty egocentric, and it may be, it brings me great satisfaction knowing that my commitment to providing exceptional care is noticeable. I’m extremely grateful that patients can see and feel the difference in the care that I provide.
Finally, the last concept, the Philosophy of chiropractic, is also something the doctor develops over time. A provider’s philosophy is generally based on how they see the world and their role in it as a chiropractic provider. For some doctors, their role is simply helping people feel better. They tend to focus on treatments that provide relief and that is their primary goal for care. For more holistic doctors, their philosophy is focused on using all things natural to help patients feel and live better. These doctors tend recommend more supplements, offer services like massage and acupuncture, staying focused on treating without the use of medications. My philosophy is a little different. I focus on helping people live a high performance lifestyle so that they can move better, feel better and live better. We integrate a host of treatment techniques that influence soft tissue recovery, joint function, resilience and longevity along with overall wellness.
Thomas Edison is quoted as saying “The doctor of the future will give no medication but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease”. This is the fundamental foundation of the care I provide in an effort to help the people that trust me with their health...to be able to move better, feel better and live better.
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