The recent “News of the Weird” article, “Fido, you’re so tense!” (Jan. 20), must have sounded funny and off the wall to most people. It was intentionally worded to sound comical, and that’s OK for this type of article; however, I would like to shed some light on this from a chiropractor’s perspective.
First of all, chiropractic involves highly skilled manipulations (adjustments) of spinal segments and is not just a haphazard “cracking” of the back. Adjustments free nervous system interferences and improve movement, function, and health in humans (including newborns) and various animals. Obviously, adjusting technique needs to be adapted to the size, structure, and condition of the spine being adjusted.
Therefore, there is nothing violent or cruel about a chiropractic adjustment. Those comically cute dachshunds were ideal candidates for this study, since they are a breed that is inherently prone to back problems.
As for the uneven leg lengths, they are referring to functional (reflexive or apparent) leg length as opposed to a structural or literal discrepancy in leg lengths. Monitoring vertebral malpositions and their corrections with leg length analysis is debatable among chiropractors, although there has been some research on humans to support its validity.
Lastly, we get to the big picture. Research is important to chiropractic and will most likely be necessary to bring it to mainstream healthcare. Chiropractic has the potential to produce better, stronger, faster, and healthier animals and people, but proof of this needs to be presented on a much larger scale to gain the acceptance it deserves.
This article appears in Feb 17-24, 2011.
