Subject: Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique: General Articles

Title: Activator as a theraputic instrument: Survey of usage and opinions amongst members of the British Chiropractic Association

Reference: Dicken T. Read; Francis J.H. Wilson; Hugh A. Gemmell....Clincal Chiropractic 2006; 9: pp.70-75

Abstracts: This paper provides an account of a survey of chiropractors registered with the British Chiropractic Association that was designed to examine use of the activator as a therapeutic instrument, and opinions related to its use. The survey was mailed to a sample population of 300 chiropractors and achieved a response rate of 82%. Of the chiropractors who responded to the survey and were included in data analysis, 82% reported that they used an activator adjusting instrument, but only 2% of these stated that they typically used it as their primary method of treatment. The survey suggested that Activator I was the most frequently used form of the instrument. Cervical pain was the most frequently identified condition for whIch the activator was used. The vast majority of responders believed that the activator was a useful therapeutic instrument in chiropractic practice (81%), and that it offered a safe treatment option (84%). Viewed in the context of other surveys of activator usage, this work adds to a body of literature which suggests an increase In activator usage amongst chiropractors practising in the United Kingdom since the early 1990s. This being the case, it is appropriate that issues of effectiveness and safety in relation to activator therapy are given due consideration in future research.

Introduction: The term 'chiropractic' might bring to mind an image of manual therapy, i.e. treatment by hand, but various instruments have been used in chiropractic clinical practice, including the activator
adjusting instrument (AAI). Associated with the AAI is Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique
(AMCT).

Key Indexing Terms: Chiropractors, United Kindom; Chiropractors, statistics and numerical data; Chiropractic, instrumentation; Activator adjusting instrument; Activator methods chiropractic technique