Celebrating 125 Years of Chiropractic Care

September 18 marked the 125th anniversary of the day Dr. Daniel David “D.D.” Palmer performed the world’s first chiropractic adjustment, paving the way for modern chiropractic treatments. Although chiropractic care has come a long way since then, it’s difficult to overstate Dr. Palmer’s role in helping to develop a treatment that alleviates pain and aids in the recovery of patients around the world.

From the Ancient Egyptians to Hippocrates, known as the Father of Modern Medicine, spinal manipulations were used to relieve pain. However, it was Dr. Palmer’s use of a new manipulation technique that brought chiropractic care into the modern age. His procedure involved what is widely known today as Chiropractic Adjustment, the spinal manipulation or maneuvering of the spinal column to give the body a better ability to cure itself. 

On September 18, 1895, Dr. Palmer gave his first chiropractic adjustment to a hearing-impaired businessman named Harvey Lillard, who worked in the building in Iowa where Dr. Palmer had his “magnetic healing” practice. Dr. Palmer learned that Mr. Lillard had lost his hearing 17 years earlier, after hearing a loud “pop” in his neck while replacing a wheel on his wagon. Dr. Palmer examined Mr. Lillard’s his neck and found a subluxation, a bone out of place. Dr. Palmer performed an adjustment that returned the misaligned vertebrae to its correct position, restoring Mr. Lillard’s hearing — and a normal life. Learning of Dr. Palmer’s success, patients far and wide flocked to Iowa for the chance that chiropractic could resolve their health problems. Two years later, Dr. Palmer opened what is now the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, the world’s first school of chiropractic.

As Dr. Palmer’s work continued, chiropractic adjustments were proven effective in helping a multitude of health issues. His son, B.J. Palmer, advanced the chiropractic profession further through research and medical studies. Over the last 125 years the chiropractic profession has grown to be the world’s second-largest healthcare profession, with millions of patients each year receiving treatment for debilitating pain or other disabilities.

Power Liens is proud to include the best chiropractors in the state in our network. Please see below for a small sampling of some of our superstar providers: