The prevalence of the term subluxation in North American English-Language Doctor of chiropractic programs

Abstract

BackgroundThe subluxation construct has been a divisive term in the chiropractic profession. There is a paucity of evidence to document the subluxation. Some authors have questioned the propriety of continuing to use the term.AimThe purpose of this study is to examine current North American English language chiropractic college academic catalogs and determine the prevalence of the term subluxation in the respective chiropractic program curricula.MethodsSixteen current English-language North American chiropractic college academic catalogs were studied. The term subluxation was searched for in each of the catalogs. Categories were developed for the usage of the term. These included "total times mentioned", "subluxation mentioned in a course description", "subluxation mentioned in a course title", "subluxation mentioned in a technique course description", and "subluxation mentioned in a philosophy course description." The prevalence of the "subluxation mentioned in a course description" was compared to the total programmatic curriculum.ResultsPalmer College in Florida devoted 22.72% of its curriculum to courses mentioning the subluxation followed by Life University (Marietta, GA) and Sherman College with 16.44% and 12.80% respectively. As per specific coursework or subjects, an average of 5.22 courses or subjects have descriptions mentioning the term subluxation. Three schools made no mention of the term subluxation in their academic catalogs; they were National University of Health Sciences, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, and Southern California University of Health Sciences.ConclusionDespite the controversies and paucity of evidence the term subluxation is still found often within the chiropractic curricula of most North American chiropractic programs. Future research should determine if changes in accreditation standards and research on evidence based practice will affect this prevalence.

Words matter: the prevalence of chiropractic-specific terminology on Australian chiropractors’ websites

“…It has even been shown to prompt people to question the validity of complementary medicine altogether [79]. As noted previously, the presence of an alternative paradigm of health is divisive within chiropractic as well [24,38,82].…”

“…For instance, 'We practice subluxation-based chiropractic' and 'We believe subluxation is a historical concept only' would both have been counted. This paper followed on from a 2011 study by Mirtz and Perle which examined course/unit/module descriptors in North American chiropractic teaching institutions [24]. The latter study found an increase in the mean incidence of the term, rising from 5.53 in the first study to 6.50 in the follow-up at the North American Institutions.…”

Extending ICPC-2 PLUS terminology to develop a classification system specific for the study of chiropractic encounters

“…However, this term is listed under the accepted medical definition of subluxation, that is, a partial dislocation. Some chiropractors use this term in a different context hence the series of terms related to ‘chiropractic subluxation’ were generated (see Additional file 1) [13]. Second, in BEACH the sacroiliac joint is not considered a moving joint, like a wrist joint, and sacroiliac recordings are classified in the rubric ‘L03: Low Back Symptom/Complaint’, because the sacroiliac joint is regarded as part of the back.…”

A health care system in transformation: making the case for chiropractic

“…While this disparity creates a rich diversity of practice within the profession, it nevertheless presents a confused message to those viewing the profession from the outside [38]. This variation may present an obstacle to the widespread acceptance of chiropractic into mainstream healthcare.…”