Otto C. Reinert, DC, FICC, passed away March 18, 1994 at his home in Boynton Beach, Florida following a brief illness. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Reinert was a 1936 graduate of Missouri Chiropractic College, and was the college's president from 1962 until its merger with Logan College of Chiropractic in 1964. He served as Logan College's director of the Department of Diversified Technique until 1970. He retired from active practice in 1980 and served as a research consultant at Logan until 1990.
Dr. Reinert personally trained thousands of DCs in the fundamental methods of spinal adjusting and lectured to many professionals worldwide. For 30 years, he engaged himself in research to learn the anatomical details of the spinal aberrations that the chiropractic profession calls subluxations. Through x-ray research of hundreds of cadaver specimens and subsequent dissections, he and his Logan College co-workers proposed hypotheses regarding vertebral kinetics associated with spinal dysfunction. Dr. Reinert's research has promoted many innovations in adjusting procedures and subtle refinements in their methods of application which were all based on a clear mental image of the structural challenge which the doctor must address. He produced animations on video which depicted vertebral movement identifying and describing the inter and intra-articular damage and tissue failures which induce the resulting neuropathies and dysfunctions of the varying sections of the low back and spine. Dr. Reinert's studies encompassed investigation of subluxations of the entire spine, differentiating their individual characteristics in lumbar, thoracic, lower cervical and upper cervical areas.
He authored the text Fundamentals of Chiropractic Techniques and Practice Procedures, which was used at Logan as its primary textbook in chiropractic technique since 1964. Dr. Reinert pioneered the use of passive spinal extension and the rehabilitation of low back disabilities, a practice now being developed and fostered by orthopedists internationally. He was the founder of Reinert Techniques, Inc., a company engaged in chiropractic education and marketing of chiropractic equipment and rehabilitative devises.
Dr. Reinert is survived by his wife of 57 years, four children, 17 grandchildren, and 27 great grandchildren. He was remembered at a memorial mass celebrated at the Ascension Catholic Church in Chesterfield, Missouri on Saturday, March 26. Those individuals who wish to make a donation in his memory are requested to make them to the Otto C. Reinert Educational and Research Fund at Logan College of Chiropractic, 1851 Schoettler Road, P.O. Box 1065, Chesterfield, Missouri, 63006-1065.
