The Thompson Technique gains popularity with its Segmental Drop Adjusting feature

During the past few months, I have lectured to more than 1,000 people about the utilization of the Thompson Technique in the treatment of subluxations of the spine and body. Invariably, this question kept coming up: “Is it easier to adjust with the drop table?” Of course, my answer was unequivocally, yes. What I am finding out is a set of circumstances surrounding this question. It involves age, number of years as a DC, the types of techniques that have been used for the past 10 to 20 years, and the desire to maintain a hands-on style of adjusting. Just to give you an idea of the popularity of the Thompson Technique, I lectured at the Parker Seminar in Las Vegas this past January to more than 800 people. I explained the merits of the drop table that was on the stage, and how the Segmental Drop Adjusting technique was becoming one of the favorite techniques being used worldwide. I asked how many people were interested in or were currently utilizing the Thompson Technique, and about 70% to 80% of the audience raised their hands. Of course, that would be expected with all the advertising surrounding the drop style of adjusting.

Several weeks later, I was lecturing to a group of doctors in Providence, RI, and the discussion evolved into the benefits of having an elevation table and the drop pieces. Several doctors were seriously considering adapting to the Segmental Drop Adjusting technique because they were having physical problems by the end of the day of adjusting. They were also interested in the part of the lecture that demonstrated the most recent “T-Bar” adjusting mechanism used on the drop table. Remember: It is speed that facilitates the adjusting process, not brute force. Therefore, if the drop is quick and crisp, the adjustment will be easier on the patient and the reflected force on the doctor will be greatly reduced.

Another thing that Thompson recommended is to have the spine in the prone position. His concept, and I have to agree, is that following the angle of the facets as the line of drive makes really good sense. It is easier on the patient; and, most assuredly, the doctor benefits with reduced reflective force affecting the joints of the doctor’s wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

The Segmental Drop Adjusting technique has been around since the mid 1900s and was discovered by J. Clay Thompson, DC. He went to Palmer College of Chiropractic in the 1940s and was attending clinic classes in adjusting patients when he discovered that it was difficult to do the “toggle recoil” adjustment with the patient on a knee chest table. He had been adjusting in his apartment on a side posture table with a headpiece fastened to a Model-T jack. Each time he performed a thrust, there was a slight drop in the jack. He came to the conclusion that he needed to replicate that motion and came up with a spring-loaded drop headpiece. He obtained patents for his idea; developed dorsal, lumbar, and pelvic drops; and produced a full drop table. He later sold the rights to a manufacturing company , which produced a drop table for many years. When the patents expired, other manufacturers came out with their own drop-table designs.

In late 1977, I worked with Thompson to develop slides and video tapes to help teach the Thompson Technique to others. Thompson was reluctant to offer them for sale. Many of the early technique presenters were worried that no one would come to their seminars if they had the video tape and the manual. That was their main source of income, which really concerned them. After the first 6 months or so, Thompson began to see that sales not only provided an income, but more people started coming to the seminars. In the following years, we produced three versions of the video instruction series.

Today, there are new DVDs, video tapes, and a manual, as well as a Web site at www.drzemelka.com,  so people can learn all about this marvelous technique.

The use of Segmental Drop Adjusting featuring the Thompson Technique has grown considerably over the past 10 years. For the past 4 years, I have been lecturing all over the United States to thousands of professionals. I can attest to the efficacy and the popularity of this unique chiropractic adjusting procedure. CP

Wayne Henry Zemelka, DC, is a chiropractor in Davenport, Iowa. He can be reached via email: drwayne@netins.net, or his Web site: www.drzemelka.com.