Palpatory Literacy

aidan642
Jul 21
2 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Part A: Philosophy and Variation in Technique

There is no standardisation of chiropractic technique. This may come as a surprise to you, or maybe it doesn’t. But what we are taught in one college, one year, may be entirely different in the next. Techniques change, instructors move on, and each brings their own flavour to the art of chiropractic.

Yes — art. Chiropractic, like surgery or any manual craft, is grounded in science but delivered through the hands of an artist. And the more techniques you’re exposed to, the more refined and adaptive your work becomes. No single “perfect” or unifying technique exists because no two clinicians — or patients — are ever the same.

Even within a single method, how you deliver it will be influenced by:

• Your height, weight, and age

• The height of the bench and the size of your room

• The size, condition, or fragility of the patient

A technique is a tool; like any tool, it must be adapted to the task at hand.

D.D. Palmer described chiropractic’s objective as restoring tone to the nervous system. In the 1990s, we were encouraged to dismiss this as outdated.

However, today, current medicine — and I use 'current' deliberately, as it’s constantly evolving — is catching up. Chronic stress, long-term inflammation, poor interoception — these are neurological realities.

We are not just treating spines. We are treating the people behind them. Their nervous systems. Their experiences. Their histories and internal states.

You are missing the point if you think your role is to relieve back pain. If you’re working to recalibrate the neurological settings of the person in front of you, you’re in the right place.

Aidan - Enchiridion Chiropractic Training