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It may surprise you to learn that chiropractic care is a relatively new form of medical treatment. The first chiropractic adjustment took place in 1895, conducted by Daniel David Palmer after a keen observation. But the history of chiropractic has roots running thousands of years into the past.
Though the name chiropractic wasn’t coined until the 19th century, the idea of manually adjusting the spines of people in pain can be traced to the Greek physician Hippocrates, one of the foremost figures in the history of medicine. Hippocrates recommended spinal manipulation as a form of treatment for scoliosis, outlining two unique procedures that are quite different from the comfortable practice of chiropractic adjustment as we know it today.
Hippocrates’ teachings prevailed through the ages, carried on by medical experts in Europe and the Middle East. There are even depictions of manual adjustments in Buddhist temples that are more than 2,000 years old. But the first formal chiropractic adjustment wouldn’t take place until just before the start of the 20th century.
Iowa resident Daniel David Palmer is widely credited as being the father of chiropractic. The recipient of the first chiropractic adjustment was Harvey Lillard, a partially deaf janitor at Palmer’s practice in Davenport. Palmer theorized that a lump in Lillard’s back had caused his hearing loss and manually manipulated his spine. The day after, Lillard allegedly told Palmer that his hearing had improved.
re sprang the first school of chiropractic, which Palmer opened in Davenport in 1897. The word chiropractic was the idea of Rev. Samuel Weed, who combined the Greek words cheir (“hand”) and praktos (“done”) to create the term translating to “done by hand.” From those humble beginnings, nearly 20 chiropractic colleges have sprung up across America, including one in nearby Lombard (The irony is not lost on how much Lombard sounds like lumbar.).
The history of chiropractic is fascinating to be sure, but it’s a practice that’s focused on the future. Receiving regular chiropractic care today is a healthy lifestyle habit that will help you enjoy better wellness tomorrow. Reach out the Wills Chiropractic and schedule an appointment and you’ll see why chiropractic has helped so many people over the years.
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