Though chiropractic treatments most likely date back further than anyone knows, its official recognition as a legitimate scientific discipline only came when one man took the time and effort to research its benefits and prove them by putting it into practice.
The word “chiropractic” comes from the ancient Greek words “cheir” (meaning “hand) and praktos (meaning “done”).
Daniel David Palmer, credited as the developer of chiropractic, chose the name for the practice. Though manipulation had been used for thousands of years prior, no one before Daniel had developed a scientific rationale to explain how spinal manipulation can be used as a benefit.
Daniel performed the first official chiropractic adjustment in September 1895 when he examined a janitor who became deaf 17 years prior after feeling a catch in his back. After Palmer’s adjustment to what was presumed to be a misplaced vertebra in the upper back, the janitor reported that his hearing improved. Daniel went on to relieve another person of heart trouble shortly after.
In 1897, Daniel established the Palmer School of Cure—today called the Palmer College of Chiropractic—in Davenport, Iowa. The first state law licensing chiropractors was passed in 1913, and 39 states had given chiropractors legal recognition by 1931.
Daniel’s son, B.J. Palmer, succeeded his father in operating the Palmer School of Chiropractic in 1906. He built the science of chiropractic by building its body of research, increasing standards for chiropractic education and battling for legal licensing of chiropractors. Palmer has since opened 2 satellite campuses in California and Florida.
Both Dr. Adams and Dr. Vrbka earned their doctorates from this prestigious school in Iowa before returning to Alabama to open Advantage Chiropractic Clinic.
Today there are more than 60,000 active chiropractic licenses in the United States. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands recognize chiropractic as an official health care profession.
At Advantage Chiropractic Care in Auburn, we are proud to continue the legacy of doctors of chiropractic that have laid the foundation for the practice’s establishment and success. Give us a call today at 334-821-2552 to make an appointment! #HistoryOfChiropractic #ACC #Auburn