Chiropractic
Definition: A licensed health care profession that emphasizes the body’s ability to heal itself. Treatment typically involves manual therapy, including spinal manipulation (“Chiropractic: In Depth”).
Chiropractic has been around in the United States since the 19th century. A man named Daniel David Palmer was credited as the first chiropractor in 1895 and established the first chiropractic school in 1897 in Iowa. From that point on, chiropractors have adjusted their techniques to improve mobility and relieve pain (“History of Chiropractic”).
Some areas that chiropractors typically adjust on their patients are:
The Neck
Lower Back
Upper Back
Pelvis and Sacroiliac Joint
Pros vs Cons
Pros:
Increases blood circulation
Reduces muscle spasms
Prevents muscle atrophy
Cons:
Skin irritation at the site of electrodes.
Worsening spasticity
Strained muscles
source: professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES).” Cleveland Clinic, 17 July 2019, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21163-functional-electrical-stimulation-fes#risks-benefits.
What is going on now?
Electrical Muscle Stimulation
With the evolving field of chiropractic care, people are working tirelessly to improve the modality and relieve pain for their patients with more effective treatments. Today, the development that we will be discussing is electrical muscle stimulation. This practice is a targeted rehab treatment to combine physical therapies with other types of therapies. This works by stimulating targeted muscles by applying electrodes on the patient’s skin and sending electrical pulses to the muscles to build strength, relieve pain, and prevent atrophy (inception2).
Did you know?
50%
of U.S. adults have visited a chiropractor at some point in their lives, with 14% doing so within the last 12 months.
source: Chiropractic Statistics. https://www.mastermindbehavior.com/post/chiropractic-statistics. Accessed 7 Mar. 2025.
