Private practice of chiropractic; Associate Professor, Palmer Col lege of Chiropractic ... development at the Palmer College for over 10 years, working closely ...
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Technique System Overview
You can see the full text of this article, and read the more updated version in the second printing of Technique Systems in Chiropractic (Cooperstein & Gleberzon), available at Amazon.com
Thompson Technique Robert Cooperstein, M.A., D.C. * OVERVIEW
NAME OF TECHNIQUE ®
Thompson Technique (a.k.a. Thompson nal Point® Technique)
Termi
STATEMENT OF INTENT Thompson states: "By eliminating spinal subluxa tions in an organized, orderly fashion, from 'top down and inside out,' the Thompson practitioner will begin to verify the corrections he is making on the patient's spine" [1]. At the heart of the technique is the Derifield leg check, adapted from the original work of Dr. Romer Derifield [2,3]. The leg check procedure claims to detect neurophysiological imbal ance, resulting from subluxations, as manifested by a "contractured leg." The Thompson "Terminal Point" drop table aims not only at protecting the patient from being overadjusted, but at promoting the clinical longevity of the doctor [4]. The adjust ments themselves are considered by Thompson practitioners to be low force, high velocity [4], in that a light thrust triggers the drop section release mech anism.
In a1& attempt to improve the understanding of uarious chiroprac tic technique systems, the ACA Council on Technic, in conjunction with its Advisory Pa1&el, has commissioned the writing of over uiews of specific technique systems. These oueroiews represent the uiews of the in.diuid.ual author(s) a.n.d therefore should be con strued as neither an endorsement nor aT& a.pproua.l of the system by the panel. An understanding of the basic premises, diagnostic a.nd/or assessme1&t procedures, a.n.d treatment methods for the specific technique systems is a1& essential first step in the process of eua.luation for effectiveness, efficiency, an.cl ua.lidity. By publishing these oueroiews in a peer-reuiewed journal, the ACA Council on Techn.ic seeks to stimulate debate an.cl discussion concerning spe cific technique systems. All jou.rna.l readers a.re encouraged to critically appraise these oueruiews and submit critiques and/or mpportiue comments to CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUE in the form of a Letter to the Editor. • Private practice of chiropractic; Associate Professor, Palmer Col lege of Chiropractic West; Editor, ACA Panel of Aduisors' ongoing series of technique ouerviews. Address for reprints: 90 East Tasman, San Jose, CA 95134. 0899-3467/95/0702-060$3.00/0 CHIROPRACTIC TECHNIQUE Copyright @ 1995 by Williams & Willcina
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The Thompson technique is a full-spine adjusting technique that emphasizes high-velocity, low-ampli tude, and low-force procedures, using a drop table as an indispensable adjunct. The "Derifield-Thompson leg check analysis" [3] enables the differential diag nostic distinction between primarily cervical and pelvic involvement and distinguishes among the various subentities within these primary diagnostic categories. The procedure in all its parts allows the doctor to know "where to begin and what specific areas to adjust" (2]. Lumbodorsal and extremity problems are afforded less attention, but also need to be addressed after the primary cervical and lum bar areas have been addressed. HISTORY Drop tables are now taken so much for granted that it is difficult to realize how central the inven tion of the Terminal Point® table was to the devel opment of the Thompson technique. According to Moulton, J. Clay Thompson headed research and development at the Palmer College for over 10 years, working closely with B.J. Palmer in the development of the first drop headpiece in 1952 [4]. Dr. Quigley brought the headpiece to his Clearview Sanitarium, where he used it with great results on his mental patients. Thompson constructed the first table incor porating cervical, dorsolumbar, and pelvic drop pieces in 1957. If the drop table is central to Thompson's techno logical innovations, then the leg check procedure is analogously central to his analytic contributions. He adapted it from the work of Dr. Romer Derifield, who first worked out the case of the positive Deri field. Later he discovered quite fortuitously that prone leg lengths occasionally changed when the patient rotated his head and neck, a finding that led to the concept of cervical syndrome. As Thompson recounts the story [5], Derifield, who was working for a railroad in Detroit at the time, was having trouble treating a difficult case. One day the phone rang for the patient while his legs were being checked. As he turned his head to speak, the legs suddenly and unexpectedly evened. Further investiChlropractlc Technique . ...__
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