For chiropractors practicing today, Dr. Warren Hammer’s legacy is particularly visible in several areas that have become familiar components of modern musculoskeletal care: his early work with the Graston Technique and instrument-assisted soft-tissue mobilization; his extensive writing and teaching on functional soft-tissue examination and treatment; his role in bringing fascial manipulation to U.S. clinicians; and his decades spent educating chiropractors and other health professionals.
Preying on the Elderly?
While the number of spine surgeries has been on the increase, this is especially true for those 65 years and older. Consider the trend for low back surgery between 1979 and 1992:
Number of Low Back Surgeries per 100,000
| 1979 | 1992 | |
| Adults Under 65 | 113 | 152 |
| Adults 65 +Over | 51 | 188 |
SOURCE: Ciol MA, Deyo RA, Howell E, Kreif S. An assessment of surgery for spinal stenosis: the trends, geographic variations, complications, and reoperations. J Am Geriatr Soc 44:285-290, 1996.