November 2007

Detect, correct and prevent

by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg

The focus of our practice, as doctors of chiropractic, is to detect and correct subluxations. Don't you wish we could do more to help our patients prevent subluxations?

Almost all DCs (97.8%, according to one major survey) make exercise recommendations and almost as many (93.2%) give advice on ergonomics. In addition, many DCs provide weight loss counseling, posture analysis and stress reduction in hopes of aiding their patients to live healthier, subluxation‑free lives.

Many, however, have not explored the possibility of offering another valuable option that can serve the same purpose of preventing subluxations: orthotics. This is particularly surprising since that same survey found that 97.7% of all DCs surveyed said orthotics was "appropriate for chiropractic's scope of practice."

It's also surprising since it has long been accepted that subluxations can also be caused, at least in part, by an unbalanced gait ‑‑ something a doctor of chiropractic can help correct.

According to Mark Charrette, DC, a recognized expert in spinal and extremity adjusting: "There is a fine interplay between the movements of the lower extremities and the balancing of the spine. Normal gait causes repetitive motions to occur from the feet up to the head. Alignment and function of the pelvis, spine, shoulders, and head are strongly influenced by pedal balance or imbalance... Because a smooth and symmetrical gait is tied so closely to proper vertebral function, biomechanical problems in one or both feet can interfere with postural alignment patterns."

In 1994, Terry Yocum, DC, reported in Practical Research Studies, that at least 75% of the population has some degree of leg length inequality ... which can lead to excessive foot pronation ... which can lead to gait imbalance ... which can lead to subluxations.

If you correct subluxations but don't correct the cause of the subluxations, are you really helping your patients, or are you just trapping them inside the revolving door of adjustments and re‑subluxation?

The first step in providing this important, subluxation‑related service is to determine the need for orthotic support, particularly among those patients who seem less successful at holding their adjustments.

The next step is to help patients obtain high‑quality orthotics that can help correct postural problems.

In the past, these steps were more difficult to perform in a chiropractic office. Today, the strong alliance between chiropractic and Footlevelers, Inc., a leading orthotics company, has given DCs the tools they need to make the determination quickly and easily, without expensive or complicated adjuncts to the practice. The Footlevelers system simply requires having the patient step into a casting kit containing soft foam that captures an exact impression of his or her feet, in the standing position.

Using Footlevelers guidelines, you determine which style of orthotics is appropriate, and send the casting kit to the laboratory where the orthotics are created.

The lab sends the custom‑made orthotics to your office. During a follow‑up appointment, you show the patient how to wear them properly and how to take care of them, again using the Footlevelers guidelines and materials.

This isn't a medical device but a truly chiropractic one, developed by one of the most respected and honored leaders of the profession, Monte Greenawalt. "Fifty years ago, as a chiropractor I had an idea," he explains. "I wanted to create whole body support for my patients by effectively positioning their feet ‑‑ the foundation for the body ‑‑ with high quality, custom‑made flexible orthotics."

He did just that and, in the process, revolutionized chiropractic. He stopped the "revolving door" for thousands of patients, and gave their DCs a way to address the cause of the subluxation and provide true long‑term results.

For doctors, Footlevelers has meant not only being able to provide better care to patients, but an increase in practice size and income, thanks to referrals from satisfied patients. Regardless of the type of practice or the techniques used, the ability to offer the unique Footlevelers orthotics can give DCs a valuable edge on their competition.

For more information on orthotics as a way to reinforce subluxation corrective care, call 800‑553‑4860 or visit the Footlevelers website, www.footlevelers.com .

(Dr. Terry Rondberg is president of the World Chiropractic Alliance and publisher of The Chiropractic Journal and the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. A popular speaker at chiropractic conferences and seminars, Dr. Rondberg is also a frequent guest on TV and radio shows. He has written numerous articles on chiropractic for the profession and the public, as well as several best‑selling books, including "Chiropractic First," "Under the Influence of Modern Medicine," and, with Timothy J. Feuling, the "CBS Malpractice Prevention Program," and "Chiropractic: Compassion and Expectation.")