Dynamic Chiropractic

Dynamic Chiropractic
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For 40+ years, Dynamic Chiropractic has been the standard on reliable, comprehensive information about the chiropractic profession. DC reaches 50,000+ doctors and students of chiropractic through our print and online editions each month making it the most-read publication in the profession. DC is the preferred source for the latest chiropractic news, research, and clinical information.

  1. 5d ago

    Adult Scoliosis: What to Look For, When to Treat, When to Refer

    Adult scoliosis is widespread yet frequently overlooked in general practice, affecting over thirty-seven percent of adults and rising significantly after age sixty. Patients often present with non-specific low back pain, radiculopathy, or pelvic asymmetry, leading clinicians to mismanage cases as simple mechanical dysfunction. Clinicians must first differentiate between adolescent scoliosis in the adult, which originates during youth and progresses slowly, and degenerative de novo scoliosis, which arises after age fifty from asymmetric disc degeneration, progresses rapidly, and often induces spinal stenosis. Accurate evaluation requires obtaining adolescent medical histories, conducting meticulous height measurements to detect trunk collapse, performing standing radiography, and evaluating sagittal balance. Positive sagittal shift is a stronger predictor of disability than Cobb angle magnitude. Conservative chiropractic management should prioritize pain control, halting curve progression, and active rehabilitation over passive manipulation. Small adult curves require immediate intervention, as initial curve size does not predict progression rates. Clinicians must implement curve-specific exercises, trunk endurance training, and adult corrective bracing when appropriate. When documented progression exceeds five degrees, or when patients develop severe neurological deficits, progressive sagittal collapse, or intractable stenosis, prompt referral to surgical or scoliosis specialists is essential.

  2. 5d ago

    Chinese Robots as Chiropractors?

    Technological advancements in robotics are rapidly transforming healthcare, prompting clinicians to wonder whether artificial intelligence and automated systems could eventually replace human hands in manual therapy. Inspired by sophisticated humanoid robots performing complex physical acrobatics, Dr. John Hanks explores current innovations in robotic massage and chiropractic care. In China, researchers and commercial robotics manufacturers have developed advanced systems designed to address aging populations and labor shortages. Machines equipped with thermal imaging, autonomous acupoint recognition, and adaptive force sensors currently mimic Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques such as kneading, pressing, and moxibustion. Prominent institutions, including the Mayo Clinic, have integrated automated massage devices like the TUINA robot to assist patients suffering from chronic lower back pain. While these devices can reduce physical strain on manual therapists and handle routine soft-tissue preparation, true robotic chiropractic adjustment remains elusive. Historical attempts at mechanical adjusting units, from early twentieth-century patents to the Pettibon system, relied on static mechanical thrusts. However, replicating high-velocity, low-amplitude chiropractic adjustments requires nuanced clinical intuition, dynamic palpatory feedback, and subluxation analysis that current technology cannot match, keeping human touch central to the healing art.

  3. 5d ago

    Improving Your Headache Care: New Guideline

    Headaches present a persistent clinical puzzle for healthcare providers, with overlapping presentations of cervicogenic and tension-type headaches complicating diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. A newly published clinical practice guideline in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine delivers much-needed, evidence-based guidance for chiropractic and integrative headache management. Developed through an umbrella review of thirty-one systematic reviews and a fifty-seven-member consensus panel, this landmark guideline outlines comprehensive protocols ranging from red-flag triage to hands-on multimodal interventions. For cervicogenic headaches, spinal manipulative therapy emerges with the strongest backing, supported by high-certainty evidence alongside joint mobilization, soft-tissue therapy, and dry needling. Meanwhile, tension-type headache management receives a major update: spinal manipulative therapy is officially endorsed within a multimodal framework, overturning previous restrictive recommendations. Additionally, acupuncture and dry needling earn robust recommendations for tension-type presentations. Clinicians are urged to bypass routine spinal imaging in uncomplicated cases and focus on validated outcome tools like the Headache Impact Test-6. By emphasizing patient-centered, nonpharmacological strategies, this guideline validates the vital role of conservative musculoskeletal interventions in primary headache care while giving clinicians a reliable roadmap to enhance outcomes and elevate standards of patient care.

  4. 5d ago

    Investing in a Red-Light Therapy Bed? 13 Considerations (Pt. 2)

    Investing in a full-body red-light therapy bed represents a substantial financial and clinical commitment for modern chiropractic practices seeking to expand their regenerative modalities. In this practical guide, Rob Berman and Barry Warrington examine crucial technical, operational, and financial considerations clinicians must evaluate before making a purchase. Safety mechanisms should be prioritized, including emergency shut-off switches, automatic shut-down sensors, proper wavelength-rated protective eyewear, and intuitive app-based staff controls. Practitioners must also scrutinize equipment durability and serviceability, opting for plug-and-play modular components to minimize costly clinic downtime. Understanding power metrics is equally critical; clinicians must evaluate peak power, average power, milliwatts per diode, and total joules per treatment, targeting an irradiance of sixty to one hundred thirty milliwatts per square centimeter for clinical-grade efficacy. Financially, doctors should factor in freight shipping, Section 179 tax deductions, and potential Americans with Disabilities Act tax credits. Because photobiomodulation beds are primarily offered as cash-based services rather than insurance-reimbursed modalities, successful integration hinges on subscription recovery packages and strategic appointment scheduling. By thoroughly assessing engineering standards, safety features, and economic return on investment, chiropractors can implement photobiomodulation beds that elevate patient healing and clinic profitability.

  5. 5d ago

    Managing Plantar Fasciitis: Different Sex, Different Protocol

    Plantar fasciitis affects millions of individuals annually, yet standard clinical protocols frequently overlook a critical factor: biological sex differences in tissue mechanics. Research reveals that women are nearly twice as likely to develop plantar fascial injuries and suffer higher rates of chronicity compared to men. Biomechanical evaluations utilizing ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging explain this disparity. Men typically present with stiffer Achilles tendons and more compliant plantar fascias, whereas women exhibit notably stiffer plantar fascias paired with excessively flexible Achilles tendons. Consequently, standard calf-stretching protocols fail to help female patients, as force bypasses the plantar fascia and is absorbed by the compliant Achilles tendon. To achieve lasting pain relief, women require isolated plantar fascia stretches, particularly loaded stretches utilizing a small ball under the midfoot to maximize fascial elongation. Conversely, male plantar fasciitis is primarily driven by tight calf musculature, specifically the medial gastrocnemius, necessitating dedicated long-duration Achilles stretching to prevent premature heel lift during gait. In addition to sex-specific stretches, both men and women benefit from targeted strengthening of intrinsic foot and peroneal muscles to offload the arch, alongside combined manual soft-tissue therapy to optimize functional recovery.

  6. 5d ago

    Patients Don’t Fail Rehab – Unsupervised Rehab Fails Patients

    For decades, clinicians have debated the optimal exercise regimen for spinal rehabilitation, comparing flexion against extension and mobility versus stability. However, contemporary literature reveals a surprising truth: the specific exercise prescribed matters far less than clinician supervision during rehabilitation. Extensive meta-analyses demonstrate that while most reasonable physical activity programs effectively reduce recurrence risks for neck and back pain, unsupervised home programs routinely fail. When patients merely receive a generic exercise sheet, lack of adherence undermines clinical efficacy. In contrast, in-person supervision dramatically elevates patient outcomes by delivering four essential therapeutic ingredients: accountability, confidence, motivation, and movement precision. Research shows that clear, encouraging guidance increases exercise compliance fourfold, significantly reducing pain and long-term disability. Furthermore, combining manual therapy with supervised rehabilitation doubles functional improvement compared to manipulation alone, proving that structured movement is essential for long-term health. Given that severe back pain correlates with elevated early mortality, effective secondary prevention is a clinical imperative. Chiropractors must transition from viewing exercise as an isolated prescription to establishing structured behavioral environments. Ultimately, patients do not fail rehabilitation; rather, unsupervised protocols fail patients by neglecting the essential power of active provider guidance.

  7. 5d ago

    Precision Over Power

    The foundational chiropractic axiom of "precision over power," pioneered by B.J. Palmer, established that healing is achieved through specific, controlled intervention rather than crude, forceful application. Palmer transformed early chiropractic from indiscriminate vertebral shoving into an exacting science focused on detecting and correcting specific subluxations using light, rapid recoil adjustments. Today, this profound clinical philosophy finds an exact parallel in modern multi-wavelength therapeutic photobiomodulation. Advanced laser therapy systems reject outdated high-power, full-gamut protocols in favor of targeted wavelengths, modulated frequencies, and real-time sensory feedback. By delivering pulsed microbursts that mirror Palmer’s rapid adjustments, modern lasers trigger cellular repair without causing thermal tissue damage. Each wavelength provides unique therapeutic benefits: 660 nanometers drives superficial cellular repair; 800 to 808 nanometers penetrates deep tissues for mitochondrial stimulation; 905 nanometers provides rapid analgesia via nerve modulation; 970 to 980 nanometers enhances perfusion; and 1064 nanometers reaches deep spinal canals and joint arthropathies. When chiropractors pair specific spinal adjustments with precise multi-wavelength photobiomodulation, they unleash the body's innate healing mechanisms. Ultimately, whether adjusting vertebrae or administering photons, clinical success depends upon targeted accuracy rather than brute force.

  8. 5d ago

    Remembering Dr. Warren Hammer - A Pioneer in Soft-Tissue Care

    The chiropractic profession honors the extraordinary life and lasting legacy of Dr. Warren Hammer, who passed away at age ninety-two after sixty-eight years of dedicated practice. Dr. Hammer was a transformative pioneer whose scholarship, teaching, and clinical innovations permanently expanded the scope of soft-tissue assessment and manual therapy across multiple healthcare disciplines. Graduating from Lincoln Chiropractic College in 1958, Dr. Hammer championed evidence-informed evaluation and treatment methodologies. He was instrumental in introducing the Graston Technique and instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization to chiropractors, authoring core instructional materials that popularized the modality. His definitive textbook, Functional Soft-Tissue Examination and Treatment by Manual Methods, spanned three editions and served as an essential multidisciplinary guide for diagnosing and managing complex musculoskeletal conditions. Later in his career, Dr. Hammer brought fascial manipulation to clinicians in the United States and served as the English-language editor for Carla Stecco’s landmark anatomical atlas. With more than three hundred published articles and countless international lectures, Dr. Hammer emphasized the vital clinical cycle of functional examination, targeted intervention, and objective reassessment. His enduring contributions continue to shape contemporary musculoskeletal rehabilitation and inspire future generations of clinicians worldwide.

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For 40+ years, Dynamic Chiropractic has been the standard on reliable, comprehensive information about the chiropractic profession. DC reaches 50,000+ doctors and students of chiropractic through our print and online editions each month making it the most-read publication in the profession. DC is the preferred source for the latest chiropractic news, research, and clinical information.

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  • Creator
    Dynamic Chiropractic
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    221
  • Rating
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    ©2026 Dynamic Chiropractic™ All Rights Reserved
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