In his book Seeing What's Next, Clayton Christensen, author of TheInnovator's Dilemma and TheInnovator's Solution, writes: "The past might seem a strange departure point for a book the explains how to see the future. We started with history, however, to show that theory can help explain why things happened the way they did. After all, we cannot hope to use something to explain the future if it cannot explain the past."
In reflecting on chiropractic's 126-year history, I felt the need to look dispassionately and objectively at what has transpired, with key issues affecting the profession both positively and negatively. We have indeed been very litigious as a profession; some of the litigation quite literally changed the trajectory of the entire profession. Legislation was also necessary for licensure, and incredible patient support fueled a tremendous political movement.
Education and research, however, are the two areas that enabled the profession to survive and withstand the seemingly insurmountable challenges and opposition we had to endure.
By contrasting the past and present, perhaps a more objective and optimistic view of the future will be realized by those who did not live through the historical battles and feel the joy of victory or pain of defeat, while never losing optimism that the chiropractic profession would emerge victorious.
I have produced a short video that is by no means comprehensive, but highlights a few of the many significant issues which could have easily altered the course of chiropractic history. As Dr. Christensen indicated, the past is necessary to understand, the present is important to appreciate, but the future will depend on a strategic vision for tomorrow.
The chiropractic profession is under a sophisticated and relentless assault from corporate medicine, so strategically executed that most don’t even recognize it happening. The campaign is powerful, calculated, and well-funded, demonstrated by its covert tactics and the millions being invested to carry it out. Corporate medicine's endgame wants only two things from chiropractic: all our patients and all our money – and it is getting it.
Over the past two decades, more than 18 million spinal surgeries have been performed in the United States, and cervical disc replacements represent a fair share of those. Device recalls due to design flaws can place patients in difficult clinical situations, especially those who are symptomatic and reluctant to undergo revision surgery. This case highlights the role of chiropractors in managing complex postsurgical patients, particularly those with recalled spinal implants.
UnitedHealth Group, parent company of UnitedHealthcare, has announced sweeping changes to its prior-authorization (PA) requirements that will eliminate the requirement for chiropractic care and numerous other healthcare services by the end of 2026. Doctors of chiropractic, other providers and patients have long lamented prior authorization requirements because they can delay needed treatment, limit access and even cause some patients not to pursue care.
