Global Chiropractic Adjustment Survey Results

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Well, I hope for most of my colleagues out there this brightens your day… or at least gives you something to think about.  I call the results below ‘shocking’ because they contradict what many (so-called) leaders assert as far as the nature of today’s chiropractic profession.

Patrick Gentempo Circle of DocsLet me frame this up (and this is worth the time to read)…

The Adjustment is the core service the vast majority of chiropractors offer.  Countless millions of consumers receive adjustments worldwide every year.  And the age range is new born to 100+ years old.

Further, what types of people get adjusted?  People with every imaginable disease.  People who have musculoskeletal pain.  People who have no pain or diseases at all.  People who want to increase performance including marquis athletes and celebrities.

WOW!  Is there any wonder how there is intra and inter-professional controversy over this amazing service called the chiropractic adjustment?

For the past 9 days I ran a Global Chiropractic Survey.  We had a very robust response with over 2,000 DCs responding (thank you!).  I ran a smaller, similar survey last year.  Noteworthy for this one is that we were able to get a large population of DCs to access this survey through Facebook, Circle of Docs, etc so they weren’t just from my list.

The VERY telling results are below.

In my video below, I make some commentary around the results you see below concerning the term ADJUSTMENT.  2,000 DCs is a pretty large sample and the results, in my view, tell us a real story about what chiropractors think and how they practice.

 

Global Chiropractic Adjustment Survey Results

Question 1: Do you prefer the term: 

Adjustment:                        92.48%

Manipulation:                        1.50%

I do not have a preference:   6.02%

 

Question 2: Do you think there is a significant difference between an adjustment and a manipulation?

Yes, for sure:                      79.65%

No, not at all:                       11.50%

There is a minor difference.     8.84%

 

Question 3: Is the adjustment the primary service you offer in your office?

Yes:   92.58%

No:       7.42%

 

Question 4: What range of impact do you think the adjustment has?

Musculoskeletal pain only:                                                   2.01%

MSK pain and visceral function:                                            2.23%

MSK pain, visc. function + gen. health and wellness:    95.76%

 


Question 5: Have you experienced radical health changes (“chiro miracles”) in some of your patients, as a direct result of the adjustment? 

Yes, for sure:                                                               89.93%

No, never:                                                                     3.38%

Maybe, but I am not convinced it was the adjustment:        6.69%

 

Question 6: Which do you think is more important? 

The technique being used:                                               3.96%

The skills of the chiro using the technique:               96.04%

 

Question 7: Are you frustrated with the variations you get in results from patient to patient?

 Yes, it is very frustrating.                                                 21.71%

No, my results are pretty consistent.                           45.87%

Even though my results vary a lot, I don’t get frustrated.    32.42%

 

Question 8:  How much technique/adjustment training do you do?

I engage in a lot of technique/adjusting training.               24.75%

I do some technique/adjusting training once in a while:    53.88%

I rarely engage in technique/adjusting training:                21.37%

 

In the end, this thing we call the adjustment is a very unique and powerful service.  We all need to stay focused on it and continue to individually enhance the way we deliver the ‘art’ of chiropractic.

Humans, like all things in existence, live under universal law.  We are created, supported and governed by it.  All life, intelligence and healing are a subset of this universal law.  I am not speaking religion here.  Religion has its place, but it is outside of chiropractic.  This line of thinking is just self-evident.  The goal here is to have us chiropractors deepen our understanding and wisdom around why we do what we do.  And along with that, what we don’t do.  Any noble profession should engage in such thinking and self-assessment.

In my recent global survey of thousands of DCs, almost 93% of them preferred the term ‘adjustment’ over ‘manipulation’.  And for good reason.  Every word in a spoken language is a concept.  The words adjustment and manipulation convey 2 different concepts, which means they are different things.  To ‘adjust’ something and to ‘manipulate’ something implies a different set of intentions.  So in order for you to know which term is appropriate to describe what you do, you need to clearly identify your intentions.

Relative to this, in the global adjustment survey a startling 96% (rounded) of DCs assert that the range of impact of the adjustment includes musculoskeletal pain, visceral function and general health and wellness.  Hence, this would portray the ‘intent’ of the adjustment for all but 4% of DCs worldwide.  Based on this, it is clear to me (although I readily acknowledge it is not clear to others who disagree) that the term ‘adjustment’ more accurately conveys what we do as compared to the word ‘manipulation’.

So why do you adjust?  What is your intention every time you do adjust? What are the variables in the adjustment that you can master to upgrade the outcomes you get with your adjustment?

Are you looking to upgrade your art in chiropractic? Click below and enroll in the Adjustment Formula.

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