Dr. Gregg D. Rubinstein, a chiropractor at 57th Street Chiropractic in New York City, gives us the history of chiropractic.
It was started in 1895 by D.D. Palmer, who at the time was a magnetic healer. There was a janitor in the building in which he had an office. One day, Dr. Palmer was working pretty late and the janitor was there cleaning up. This custodian was mostly deaf, but Dr. Palmer was able to communicate with him. So the doctor asked the custodian, “What happened to your hearing?” The custodian told him that one day he had lifted something heavy, he suddenly felt a pop in his back and he immediately lost the majority of his hearing. So Dr. Palmer asked if the custodian minded if he examined him. He laid him down and looked at the custodian’s upper back and found a lump over by his spine and said, “I just want to try something here…” He leaned in and pressed on the lump and he heard a pop, and the janitor could suddenly hear again. So that piqued Dr Palmer’s interest. Then he started to study spinal manipulation and he developed the practice of chiropractic.
The art of spinal manipulation is something that has been going on for thousands of years. There were hieroglyphics found in Egypt that demonstrated spinal manipulation that were over 2,000 years old. Spinal manipulation is nothing new. There were people in England who used to do it called bone setters. The Chinese have also been doing spinal manipulation for thousands of years.
Difference between straights and mixers
A straight chiropractor does spinal manipulation only. Someone who calls himself a mixer might use some physical therapy modality, might incorporate massage, might use ultrasound, electric stimulation, hot packs and those types of things. A straight chiropractor would only manipulate the spine.
What Dr. Rubinstein Does
I do mostly straight chiropractic, but I would be called a mixer by someone who is completely straight because I do use physical modality to alleviate pain. If someone comes in and he is in a lot of pain, you cannot adjust him immediately. Sometimes you have to relax the muscles so you can get in there and do the adjustments if they are too what we call “hot.” That means the person is in so much pain that if you try to manipulate that person, it will send him through the roof. Part of being a good chiropractor, rather than an average chiropractor, is not only knowing where or when to adjust, but most importantly knowing when not to adjust.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
