What is Spinal Manipulative Therapy?
You brain is similar to a large computer with your spinal column holding the fiber optics that send the messages to the various areas of the body. If there's a kink in the line, the message doesn't move efficiently. That kink in the case of the body could be misaligned vertebrae. Chiropractic and Osteopathic medicine base their practices on this theory.
Spinal manipulation is the method they use to relieve the kink by realigning the vertebrae. It helps relieve muscle and skeletal pain and increases the patient's ability to move their joints more easily once the chiropractor or osteopath unblocks the energy flow. Besides affecting how much pain the patient feels, spinal manipulation therapy also aids in improving the patient's general health and overall well-being.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
How Did They Start?
Both of these types of therapies began in the 1800s. The first form of spinal manipulation was Osteopathy, closely followed by Chiropractic medicine.
The founder of Osteopathy was Andrew Taylor Still. He had been a traveling doctor following the protocol of the day, but the loss of several immediate family members to diseases treated in traditional methods led him to look for better ways to treat patients. He applied his engineering knowledge with the knowledge of the human body to create the treatment. Few accepted it at first but finally, in the town of Kirksville, Missouri, his practice took off when he showed results with this new type of healing.
Chiropractic medicine started by Daniel David Palmer, originally a "magnetic healer," came through serendipity. He established a medical practice but when he noticed the janitor in his building was both deaf and had a lump on his back, he began to put the two together. Through manipulation of the mass, he restored the janitor's hearing and started the practice of chiropractic medicine.
Everything Old Was New to the Western World
At that time, the concept was new to the western world but various types of manipulation techniques occurred for thousands of years in Asian countries. The conversion of the west to these practices didn't occur immediately but as results poured in, other forms of manipulation also developed and it was soon extremely popular in the United States.
Common Uses of Spinal Manipulation
Today, many osteopaths practice side by side with traditional doctors with little difference noted. Most insurance companies recognize chiropractic medicine also. After injuries from accidents or in cases where there's back pain or numbness often called a slipped disc, both types of therapies are traditionally used. However, the practice of these two forms of alternative treatments goes even further. In most cases, the type of training and practice also varies from practitioner to practitioner.
Well Known Conditions Benefiting from Spinal Manipulation
Spinal immobility caused by arthritis is another condition frequently treated with spinal manipulation. Strains, sciatica, poor posture or scoliosis, tinnitus, cerebral palsy, damage from a stroke, muscle problems, immobility and neuralgia. In some cases, practitioners profess the ability to treat almost every type of illness or disease with spinal manipulation therapy. However, most physicians that practice this therapy use other treatments besides manipulation for many other conditions.
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