What's the Difference?

Alright.  It's time for some Chiropractic Philosophy.  This time I'll be addressing a topic that's kind of a heated topic within the chiropractic realm.  That is the difference between an adjustment and a manipulation.

I just want to state right off the bat that the two terms, in my view, are NOT interchangeable.  There is a difference and a rather large difference I believe.  However, when it comes to insurance companies, there is no such difference. 

A manipulation of a joint is not what I do.  A manipulation is basically making a joint, or area, move for the sake of getting motion into that area.  There is no specific force, direction, or necessarily even specific intention involved.  You just get the area moving.  It's kind of like when you crack your knuckles.  You're not studying where exactly the joint is fixated, or stuck, which way it needs to move,and how much force to use.  You just crack your knuckles.

An adjustment of a joint is completely different.  Yes, with an adjustment, you get the joint moving again, but that's about where the similarity with a manipulation ends.  A chiropractic adjustment has years of book learning and physical training behind it.  There's a reason that I went to undergraduate college for three years then got my Bachelor's and Doctorate at chiropractic school during a rigorous three and one third years of year round schooling.  That's because there is a LOT to be learned about the human body, how it works, and how to fix it when it's "broken".

In chiropractic school we are taught to perform chiropractic adjustments, not manipulations to just get an area moving.  With every chiropractic adjustment that I do, I take into consideration which joint I am trying to move, why it needs to move, which direction it needs to move into, how much force to use based on the joint, body type, and fixation, and I have the intention of moving the joint to remove any irritation from the surrounding structures (ie: nerves).  As you can see, there's actually quite a big difference.

So if you've been hearing the two terms being used interchangeably, especially if you follow chiropractic laws or insurance jargon, just remember that there is a difference.  And, if you see a chiropractor who says that he/she uses manipulation, don't hesitate to ask why they don't call it an adjustment.  It's what chiropractors have been calling it for the past 125+ years.

UPDATE: WA State Vaccine Fight

As some of you may have seen, I posted about an issue in the State of Washington where there was a bill trying to restrict the personal decisions of parents and require them to get their children vaccinated without the choice of religious or philosophical exemption.  Since then, there have been some changes.

First of all, the Senate Bill (ESB 5005) passed on March 25th.  That means, 90 after the adjournment of the session, the bill becomes law.  Now if the session adjourned that day, the new law would take effect on approximately June 23rd.

Secondly, the bill was slightly changed since my last posting on the topic.  The philosophical exemption is still gone.  The religious exemption was left on the books, it's just been changed.  You need to prove membership in a church that does not allow medical care.  Also, the medical exemption is still on the books.  For both the religious and medical exemption, you will be required to visit a medical practitioner (eg: MD, DO, ND, NP), get a signed piece of paper stating that you have been informed and educated on vaccines (not necessarily the detriments of vaccines), then meet the religious exemption requirement or prove that your son or daughter's health is in danger when receiving a vaccine.

However, for those of us who do not belong to a church that prohibits medical care, myself included, that creates a bit of an issue.  Forget about the right to choose what you deem necessary for your children for a second.  You will be required to pay for an office visit to a medical practitioner to maybe get a piece of paper signed saying you are exempt for a medical reason.  Not to mention, they typically give vaccines while at the hospital after the baby is born.  And if you have time to get that separate office visit done in the couple minutes between the birth and the administration of the Hep B vaccine, more power to you. 

The only way to fully get around the new law is to home school your children.

Finally, I've had a few people ask what we can do in the meantime.  Sadly, there's not much.  As I've been told by higher ups, there will be litigation in the court system against the Constitutionality of the bill.  One way to help support is to join the Yahoo group Fundamental Rights Coalition of WA to stay up to date with what is going on.  You can also contact your legislator on the issue.  At the end of the post, I will list which legislators voted for restricting our rights and which voted against restricting vaccination exemption.

The best way to help fight what has happened is the good old grass roots movement.  Spread the word.  Let your friends and family know what's happened in WA State.  Of course, if anyone has comments or questions, please feel free to comment below.

Yea Votes (voted to restrict vaccination exemption):
Representatives Alexander, Anderson, Bailey, Billig, Blake, Carlyle, Chandler, Clibborn, Cody, Dahlquist, Dammeier, Darneille, Dickerson, Dunshee, Eddy, Finn, Fitzgibbon, Frockt, Goodman, Green, Haigh, Haler, Hasegawa, Hope, Hudgins, Hunt, Hunter, Hurst, Jinkins, Johnson, Kagi, Kelley, Kenney, Ladenburg, Liias, Lytton, Maxwell, McCoy, Miloscia, Moeller, Moscoso, Nealey, Ormsby, Orwall, Pedersen, Pettigrew, Probst, Reykdal, Roberts, Rodne, Rolfes, Ryu, Santos, Seaquist, Sells, Smith, Springer, Stanford, Sullivan, Takko, Tharinger, Upthegrove, Van De Wege, Walsh, Wilcox, and Mr. Speaker

Nay Votes (voted to keep philosophical, religious, and medical exemptions as they were):
Representatives Ahern, Angel, Armstrong, Asay, Buys, Condotta, Crouse, DeBolt, Fagan, Hargrove, Harris, Hinkle, Kirby, Klippert, Kretz, Kristiansen, McCune, Orcutt, Overstreet, Parker, Pearson, Rivers, Ross, Shea, Schmick, Short, Taylor, Warnick, and Zeiger