HANS IHMSEN

The treatment of the spinal column by hand is well-known for approx. 5000 years. Even with Hippocrates there are several reports about manual spinal column therapy.

The American D.D. Palmer founded a method of treating the spinal column manually in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa. He called it "Chiropractic".

The word Chiropractic means "treating by hand".

This is a method of treatment which is executed without medicines, injections or operations. Today Chiropractic is seen world-wide as the largest naturopathic profession of all. It is scientifically secured and  fully recognized by medicine.

There are world-wide about 60,000 Chiropractors. In Germany there are 60 Chiropractors trained at a Chiropractic college, which are organized in the German Chiropractor's Association (GCA).   

   
 

Chiropractic is an independent discipline of the scientific medicine. It deals diagnostically and therapeutically primarily with those disease processes  that have their basis in reversible disturbances of the statics and dynamics of the vertebral column.   

The central point of interest lies with the joints of the spinal column , that can block e.g. due to an accident, a bruise or also only a " false " movement. A blocked joint can remain in a functionally bad position for a long time and be free of complaints. Then again it can be the reason for apparently unexplainable pain, movement restrictions, muscle spasms and false posture.   

 Beyond that also functional organic disturbances via reflex processes, e.g. nervous heart, stomach or intestinal disturbances  can be caused. Blockings, or so-called "Subluxations", can cause very different complaints by their effects on the nervous system, which can exist sometimes even for many years, without the cause of the complaints being associated to the spinal column.   

The task of the Chiropractor is to diagnose such disturbances, and, after a thorough examination, treat them.   

 Before treatment starts an exact patient history is taken, whereby not only the present complaints are important, but also earlier diseases, operations, accidents etc.   

 After the patient history is taken, the actual investigation follows, At first the patients posture and mobility is examined. Thereupon different neurological and orthopedic tests are executed, and in addition, if necessary, other bodily functions are examined (e.g. blood pressure among others). The target of the investigation is to get as complete a picture of the state of health of the patient as possible.   

 Frequently also x-rays are necessary to secure the diagnosis. After diagnostic clarification and localization of the appropriate disturbance, and if it is found that the case can be treated by chiropractic, a treatment plan is then set up. In the cases of no or only partial chiropractic indication, the Chiropractor advises the patient accordingly and recommends the patient to a general-medical doctor or to a specialist for treatment.   

The actual chiropractic treatment consists of specific gentle manipulation or mobilization of the disturbed spinal  joints. In this way blocked joints are made mobile again and the joint surfaces are brought into correct relationship to each other. If necessary this treatment is complemented by measures, that are to re-establish the efficiency of the movement apparatus as completely as possible: e.g. physio-therapeutic applications, orthopedic balance of a shortened leg, consultation regarding posture, sleep habits and possible false carrying habits, specific sports etc.   

 Principal item of the chiropractic treatment is the controlled manual manipulation and mobilisation of disturbed joint function, whereby the joint concerned is moved gently beyond its normal movement, however without exceeding its anatomical boundaries.   

Often during the manipulation a cracking noise is heard (however for the success of the manipulation this is not important), which is caused by a small gas explosion within the joint capsule and not, as often assumed, by rubbing the joint surfaces against each other. A proper chiropractic manipulation does not cause any damage to a joint, i.e. overstretching of the joint capsule or the ligaments.   

 Executed by a qualified Chiropraktor, it is possible that with these chiropractic maneuvers the joint function can be corrected, without causing damage, even if they have to be done more frequently.   

In this way, with normalization of the joint function, it is possible that also the connected sections of the nervous system and the organs supplied by them may be normalized.