Advanced Chiropractic: Seeing Is Believing

Thanks to the incredible work of the late, great, Dr. Don Harrison, DC, Ph.D, MSE, FICA, many of us in the Chiropractic profession can stand by our work as corrective care specialists who not only help patients with pain issues but can often help alleviate the causes of their pain that show up on their x-rays. Dr. Harrison was not your average Chiropractor. He held a Ph.D. in Mathematics and a Master’s degree in Engineering. He then took his understanding of math and physics and founded the technique known as Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP). Today, Dr. Harrison’s work is published in some of the finest, most prestigious medical journals such as Spine, Journal of Spinal Disorders, JMPT, etc., and he is credited with establishing what is commonly referenced as the ‘ideal normal spinal model’.

Over the years we have educated our patients that abnormal spinal curves cause dis-ease in the body and manifest in early spinal decay. We know, through studying Dr. Harrison’s work, that these abnormal spinal curves are the CAUSE of the symptoms many patients suffer from. Indeed, the abnormal curves cause abnormal pressure on joints, discs and nerves and ultimately lead to disc disease, arthritis and conditions of abnormal nerve pressure resulting in neuropathies.  When examining patients we seek to rule out pathologies unrelated to the spine and then define what ‘phase of decay’ the patient’s spine is in. In many cases, even with advanced decay, corrections can be made to alleviate the pressure causing the pain. Once a patient has been accepted for care, we can reasonably predict the length of time the correction will take and we advise how to then progress to home-based stretches and exercises and maintenance care in the office (usually once per month).

I’ve heard some say, “I don’t believe in Chiropractic”. To that I would say it’s likely they haven’t been exposed to Dr. Harrison’s work or experienced corrective care Chiropractic.  Once a condition has been properly diagnosed and x-rays reveal the extent of decay, corrections are predictable. We show patients that long-term relief and improved function is possible and show them before and after x-rays that validate the spinal corrections. After all, belief systems exist where evidence may be lacking. We show patients they don’t have to believe in Chiropractic---it works anyway!