Despite how popular chiropractic care has become for people with back issues, the elderly, and most athletes, many people are unaware of how it acquired its humble origins. Many people are also unaware of the man’s identity who helped develop the practice, and there is much to learn about such origins. Let’s look at how this came to be and why it’s so crucial for chiropractors today.

The Beginning

To understand how chiropractic practices began, we need to go back to the 19th century. The man that we will primarily be focusing on is Daniel David Palmer. He didn’t necessarily come up with the idea of making back adjustments but helped pioneer and evolve the practice by adjusting short leverage points on the back so that Palmer could make progress on adjustments. He was made quite famous through his act of making a back adjustment that helped cure a janitor of his deafness and restore his hearing, showing just how crucial the spine was to the rest of your body.

School and Further Education

Palmer’s work didn’t stop through his theories and breakthroughs in learning how to help those through his back adjustments. He went so far as to help those learn what he had figured out by opening a school in 1897 in Iowa. It was here that he displayed to eager students how to use adjustments on other patients. Palmer had helped progress the use of this practice of helping those with physical or spinal issues as an alternative to drugs, which was especially helpful given how such adjustments could relieve someone of pain. 

Skepticism and early struggles

With all of that said, not everything went smoothly for those who labeled themselves chiropractic practitioners. Indeed, a great deal of skepticism went towards their practices, with it earning itself a place under the umbrella of ‘alternative medicine’ and thus being a bit scorned by the medical community. In fact, without a license, many of these chiropractors would find themselves not only shunned by outright arrest until the 1960s rolled around, which was a whirlwind of social upheaval in America.

Progression

Eventually, much like all things in life, after the 1960s, great strides and progress were made for these adjustment practices as they became more common and more openly allowed to practice them. Now it’s rare for you to go to a plaza without chiropractor services offered and with more technology developed to assist others with their alignment issues better or what other spinal and limb pain they might be undertaking.

Conclusion

The history and development of chiropractic practices have developed dramatically throughout these past years, and it can only get better as technology improves. We have a lot to be thankful for, considering Daniel David Palmer’s contributions and how he helped spur such development. Whether refining the practice or teaching the next generation, his mark on the procedure is undeniable.