Technology grows among chiropractors

Many traditionalists are hesitant to use machines in their work, however.
McMURRAY, Pa. (AP) -- Chiropractic treatment, the most widely used of all the alternative medicines, has had its doubters since Daniel David Palmer made what is thought to be the first recorded chiropractic adjustment in 1895.
A century later, technology intended to quantify the effect of techniques used to alleviate back pain is making inroads at chiropractic colleges and among practitioners, though in limited measure.
There are divisions within the industry, however, about just how much technology should be used in this hands-on business.
System to assist
Just outside Pittsburgh in a facility filled with advanced rehabilitative devices and computers that appears far removed from the traditional chiropractor's office, Maurice Pisciottano, a doctor of chiropractic, says the industry has been too slow in integrating diagnostic and treatment methods.
A system developed by Pisciottano matches harmonic frequencies through a computer-linked handheld device that is pressed to the spine or joints, he said.
Not only does the technology point to where the problem is, but a trained chiropractor can correct it by using the wand, which delivers a series of rapid and measured taps, Pisciottano said.
The technology is not new and has been used to test the integrity of aircraft and spacecraft by NASA. Its application to the body, however, is new.
"It's difficult to prove what we do, and the public perception is that it's all esoteric," Pisciottano said. "I wanted something that was irrefutable."
Seconds after a test is administered, a series of signal waves, each representing an individual vertebra, pops up on a computer screen beside digital bar charts where longer, red bars indicate, according to the ProAdjuster system, a misalignment in the lower spine.
Academic inroads
Pisciottano has sold about 1,500 ProAdjusters worldwide, and the technology was just approved as an elective course at the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, founded in 1897 by D.D. Palmer.
The school is very "traditional," said Donald Gran, director of technique, and new technology is put through extensive review before it is taught.
"As a profession, we are always trying to improve. And the new computerized models we have give us more objective findings that we can look at and know what we're doing is accurate," he said.
Pisciottano's system is also being taught in the postgraduate program at the Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, Mo., and is under review at a number of other schools.
Still, no independent studies have been completed on the technology, something Pisciottano said will occur as colleges begin to teach with his technology.
Traditional perspective
There is dissension in the chiropractic field (Greek for "effective treatment by hand") regarding the use of technology like Pisciottano's. Some think technology only hinders the intense contact necessary for treatment, said Gerard Clum, president of Life Chiropractic College West in San Lorenzo, Calif.
"There are some within the profession that wouldn't even think about computer-assisted adjusting equipment. There are people who say the momentum of technology in this era is terrible," he said. "Others think this is the best thing since sliced bread."
Clum said he is more of a traditionalist, but that in the last three years, the sophistication of related technology has increased dramatically in chiropractic offices and in chiropractic schools.
Regardless of where chiropractic schools or chiropractors stand on the use of technology, the images and information now available to patients can be a powerful sell.
Chiropractors who use Pisciottano's system typically see a 20 percent increase in business within 12 weeks, he said.
"First of all, there is no twisting or turning that is associated with a visit to the chiropractor's office, so there is less fear," he said. "Secondly, we show you what needs to be done, what we do in each session and how many more visits it will likely take before we correct the problem."
Other technology
A number of schools and chiropractic offices are also using surface electromyography to flag back problems, though the American Academy of Neurology does not support that type of use.
The technology has been around longer, and there were instances of abuse in the 1990s to sell unneeded treatment, but that is because states need to do a better job regulating it, said David Marcarian, president of Myovision in San Carlo, Calif., which develops surface EMG technology.
Myovision's graphics show pointed bar graphs overlaying an animated spine and muscle form, which Marcarian said can point out trouble spots.
"There is no doubt that the graphics are very impressive, and they're meant to be," Marcarian said. "But it is not this technology that allows abuse. The same people who would misuse this technology will be dishonest with or without it."
Sales at Myovision were up by 40 percent last year, Marcarian said, with sales this year expected to double.
"This is not a perfect science, but it is good science," he said.
Most chiropractors say there is little chance that spinal adjustments -- that is, at the hands of a chiropractor -- will change anytime soon. Even traditionalists, however, say technology is changing what has often been considered a more holistic medicine.
"In the Western world, we like our data," said Clum, of Life Chiropractic. "Will the technology we are seeing evolve now drastically change what we do? I don't know that. Manual adjustment in some form has worked well for centuries."
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