Activator technique

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Activator device

The Activator Method Chiropractic Technique is a chiropractic treatment method and device created by Dr. Arlan W. Fuhr as an alternative to manual manipulation of the spine and extremities. The device is categorized as a mechanical force manual assisted (MFMA) instrument which is generally regarded as a low-force chiropractic treatment technique. Activator Methods International, Ltd. (AMI) has been providing chiropractic care, resources and training since 1967. Founded on the principles of clinical research, AMI’s major contribution to chiropractic care is discovery and development of the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique and the associated Activator Adjusting Instruments.

About Dr. Arlan Fuhr

Arlan W. Fuhr, DC, co-founder and chief executive officer of Activator Methods International, is the co-inventor of the Activator® Adjusting Instrument and the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique®. The Activator Method has become the second most-widely used chiropractic technique endorsed throughout the chiropractic field and is in use every day by 70 percent of all chiropractors. Today, Activator is taught in nearly every chiropractic college in the United States and abroad, and in professional seminars throughout the year. For over 45 years, Activator has remained the most popular instrument adjusting technique worldwide.

Dr. Fuhr has been widely acknowledged in the healthcare industry for his many accomplishments, most notably for bringing instrument adjusting to the chiropractic profession. Recently,in 2012 he was selected as a delegate for the World Health Organization's annual conference in Geneva, which takes place in May. In 2011, Dr. Fuhr was inducted into the Druggless Research Hall of Fame. Dr. Fuhr was recognized by the World Federation of Chiropractic with its prestigious Honour Award, at the organization’s 2009 Biennial Congress. Dr. Fuhr joins an esteemed group of healthcare and business professionals who have been recognized by the WFC with its highest award for their outstanding contributions to the international advancement of chiropractic.

In 2008, Dr. Fuhr was inducted into Dynamic Chiropractic’s Champions of Chiropractic Hall of Fame. In 2006, Dr. Fuhr was distinguished with Dynamic Chiropractic’s “Person of the Year” award. In 2005, he received the “President’s Award” from the American Chiropractic Association. In 2004, Dr. Fuhr was given the Greenawalt Foundation Award for Clinical Excellence in Technique. In 2000, he became a member of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. In 1993, Dr. Fuhr was named Arizona’s “Chiropractor of the Year,” and accepted the Daniel David Palmer Chiropractic Scientific Award that same year. In 1991, Dr. Fuhr was named a fellow at Palmer West Academy, Palmer College of Chiropractic West in Sunnyvale, California. From 1981 through 1991, Dr. Fuhr served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Logan College of Chiropractic, St. Louis, Missouri. Educating chiropractors across the world on the benefits of low-force chiropractic adjustments, Dr. Fuhr’s speaking engagements have included stops in Mexico, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and China. He is credited with 25 peer-reviewed publications, 13 domestic patents, 47 worldwide trademarks and more than 100 copyrighted works. In 2008, Dr. Fuhr published the second edition of the technique textbook, The Activator Method, globally known as the standard reference for instrument adjusting.

Co-founder and CEO Arlan W. Fuhr D.C. has more than four decades of experience in clinical research and private practice. A native of Minnesota, Dr. Fuhr received his chiropractic training at Logan College of Chiropractic. He is married to Judith J. Fuhr and resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

About Activator Methods International

More than 105 peer-reviewed papers have been published on the Activator Method. Research efforts have also been funded by the National Institutes of Health. The resulting peer-reviewed papers have been a valuable tool for the practitioner’s treatment of problems of the spine and extremities.(www.activator.com) AMI’s mechanical force, manually assisted adjusting instrument is recognized and covered by Medicare. The number of licensed professionals trained in the Activator Method is approximately 150,000 worldwide, making it the most widely used low-force chiropractic technique in the world.

Each year, AMI offers more than 40 technique seminars around the world to provide instruction and certification opportunities. Additionally, AMI provides online training in the Basic Scan Protocol, the cornerstone of the Activator Method, through Activator Online (www.activatoronline.com). Doctors can achieve and maintain Proficiency or Advanced Proficiency Ratings and become part of the exclusive Referral Service of Proficiency Rated Doctors through these seminars.

Physical characteristics of the activator adjusting instrument

The activator is a small handheld spring-loaded instrument which delivers a small impulse to the spine. It was found to give off no more than 0.3 J of kinetic energy in a 3-millisecond pulse. The aim is to produce enough force to co-activate mechano-receptors in the vertebrae, but not enough to cause injury.^[1]

Activator method chiropractic technique

The activator method chiropractic technique (AMCT) involves having the patient lie in a prone position and comparing the functional leg lengths. Often one leg will seem to be slightly shorter than the other. The chiropractor has the patient carry out a series of maneuvers such as having the patient move their arms in a certain position in order to activate the muscles attached to specific vertebrae. If the leg lengths change, that is taken as a sign that the problem is located at that vertebral-level. The chiropractor treats problems found in this way moving progressively along the spine in the direction from the feet towards the head.^[1]

Leg length test reliability

There are 17 published papers showing inter-testing reliability using the Activator Method. The literature shows that properly trained doctors show good interexaminer reliability.^[1]

Utilization rates

In 2003, the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners found that 70% of chiropractors used the technique, and 23.9% of patients received it.^[2] The majority of U.S. chiropractic schools and some schools in other countries teach the AMCT method, and an estimated 150,000 chiropractors worldwide have been trained to use the Activator Method.^[1]

Results

There have been a number of studies of AMCT, including case reports, case series and randomized controlled trials, but there are still unanswered questions. A number of studies suggest that the activator is as effective as manual adjustment in treatment of back pain.^[1]

See also

• Chiropractic treatment techniques
• Unequal leg length

References

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