Dear Dr. Pettibon, Dec 23rd 2010

     Merry Christmas! I contacted you two months ago, and want to give you an update on my progress. I have continued active treatment with Dr. Logan, here in Medford, and have stepped up my home care as time goes on. I invite you to examine my latest x-rays taken last week. I think you will be satisfied with my progress so far, as it must be kept in mind that I have considerable degeneration both in the neck and lower back. How much future progress remains to be seen, but it is incredible that your method not only has arrested the 40 year in progress degeneration, but it appears to be reversing the process. I take liberties in this offer, as these X-Rays belong to Dr. Logan, but I’m sure he would be willing to share them with you. I have one more month of active treatment, then I do a yearly one month trip to Tucson for a Gem show. I hope to resume treatment upon my return and will continue my home care in Arizona.

     My goal is to someday see my X-rays on your home page and to hope to achieve that, I will have to work very hard. This won’t be hard to do at all, as my support group very well may be the best anywhere in the world!

      Could that be an exaggeration? We shall see!

    Sincerely yours, James W

Dear Dr. Pettibon,

   I wish to thank you as I am a patient of yours through Dr. Logan

here in Medford Oregon. My particulars are of the more serious 

nature, which gives more importance, in my case, to the real value 

of your research and Pettibon System development. In two months, 

Dr. Logan has inspired me with his knowledge, dedication, and his 

burning desire to help people like me. Yes, he has helped me so much 

in this short period of time.

   Dr. Logan uses a scientific approach and documents everything he 

does precisely. My assumption is that you gave him valuable guidance. 

When my treatment is concluded I will find the words to thank 

Dr. Logan with all my heart. Right now, I can only hope that you can 

realize the positive impact that your correctly practised system has 

had on my life. I'm 59, and hope to work another 10 years, thanks to 

you, Dr. Logan, and his assistant Jessica.

   I will have serious back issues for the rest of my life, but your 

system has given me hope, and the home care is so ingenious and simple 

that I hope to follow it for the rest of my active life. Again, 

thank you Dr. Pettibon, for your dedication to people like me, and for

opening the door to people like Dr. Logan.

Sincerely yours, 

JW 

The first comes from Dr. Cohen whose daughter frequently comes into the office with him.  One morning as he was getting ready he found Alexa doing this:

She then turned to him and said, “you do”.  Future Chiropractor???

The second story comes from a local baseball player who had back pain during baseball season.  Determined to find a solution that would help keep him in the game, he worked with his Pettibon Chiropractor.  Chance was given several easy to follow exercises and didn’t miss a game after incorporating this into his active lifestyle.  He sent us this photo from a pregame warm up:

Have some pictures you’d like to share?  Join the fun lets see where the Pettibon Equipment goes.

Comment to this thread with your question regarding The Pettibon System® and we will reply with answers as soon as possible.  The only bad question is the one left unasked.

Please comment to this post with your story and it will be posted (typically within 24 hours) of your comment.

Safe and effective treatment protocols for adjusting infants and children have been developed for doctors using the Pettibon system, the basic principles of which have been adapted to the specific needs of the pediatric patient.

Drs. Ian Horseman and Mark Morningstar have been instrumental in developing the protocols for the Pettibon system for pediatrics, as well as the care of the child with scoliosis. I would like to extend my appreciation for their contribution to this article.

 What Is the Pettibon System?

The Pettibon system is a comprehensive method of evaluation and management that consists of warm-up exercises, spinal mobilization techniques and neuromuscular rehabilitation procedures designed to retrain neuromuscular control of the spine and posture. In the process, patients also are given an extensive home rehabilitation protocol to promote patient independence and empowerment.

This system incorporates a variety of adjunct adjustment tools to aid the practitioner. One of their adjustment tools is designed to deliver a precise vectored adjustment to the upper cervical spine.

Another device allows the practitioner to perform an occiput adjustment in the -Z plane, while the device actively blocks the upper cervical spine.

Weighting Systems

Finally, the core of the rehabilitation program is considered to be the weighting system. The weighting system consists of varying amounts of weight placed in specific anatomic locations to induce reflex postural corrections. For example, an anterior headweight is used to cause the patient’s righting reflexes to compensate for the added external weight by actively retracting the head in space, so that it is balanced over the pelvis. To complete the system, shoulder and hip weights can be used to induce shoulder and/or hip rotation. Patients are then radiographed while wearing this equipment to confirm postural corrections.

Two previous studies have demonstrated the corrective effects of this weighting system. Research studies relating to the Pettibon system are ongoing, with four studies currently in review and two in preparation. The goals of treatment in the Pettibon system are patient-oriented. Sagittal balance, spinal motion, functional outcome assessments and strength testing are among the hallmarks of Pettibon outcome measures; patients are discharged from care upon maximum chiropractic improvement.

Pettibon Pediatric Equipment and Protocols

As with adults, the most clinically important region of the spine to correct in the pediatric patient is the area between the skull and C1. In infants, due to normal development of the fetus in the “whole body flexed position,” the most common presentation is the skull flexed on the atlas, resulting in a loss of normal extension of the skull on atlas. This skull/atlas relationship often is expressed as forward head banging in infants. This flexed occiput can easily be adjusted by blocking the atlas with a specific instrument and gently extending the occiput while activating the small drop mechanism, allowing for a precise and comfortable correction.

The same instrument also can be used for the more serious presentation of the extended occiput on C1, usually associated with breech births. The baby may express this less common loss of flexion of the skull with backward head banging. The drop mechanism is activated with the occiput well-supported in the flexed position while C1 is immobilized. It also can be adapted for adjusting the atlas in lateral flexion and or rotation.

The Pettibon system also instructs the doctors how to obtain and analyze plain-film X-rays on infants and toddlers, ensuring that accurate diagnosis and precise and safe adjustments are provided and obtained. In addition, the Pettibon system has developed equipment specific to the needs of the child. Special tips for adjusting instruments and modifications to equipment utilized for adults have been designed to ensure the comfort and safety of the child.

Care of the Child With Scoliosis

Given the relative invasiveness of conventional scoliosis treatment, many parents opt for effective alternatives to treatment, such as surgery or full-time bracing. In response to this growing demand, the Pettibon system recently has begun treating scoliosis patients using a combination of both treatments. For example, some types of braces, such as the Boston brace, have demonstrated good long-term benefit. The weakness of bracing, however, lies in its low compliance rate. Bracing is a necessary component of treatment, considering the compressive gravitational effects on the unbalanced, buckled spine. However, bracing does not address the basic spinal dysfunction commonly seen in scoliosis patients. Sagittal spine alignment, for example, is not addressed by most brace types. Considering that it’s been suggested that the long-term health of the spine is more related to sagittal alignment, Drs. Horseman and Morningstar state that “the use of the Pettibon system in conjunction with bracing treatment may provide for a more comprehensive treatment protocol for the pediatric patient.”

Adding the Pettibon system to conventional bracing treatment gives the practitioner the ability to manage scoliosis patients with slightly higher curvature magnitudes than typical bracing treatment is indicated for. Preliminary data has shown that combining these treatments can produce promising short-term outcomes in curvature reduction, respiratory improvement, visual posture improvement, and rib hump reduction.

For more information regarding the Pettibon pediatric and scoliosis modules, the reader should visit www.pettiboninstitute.org.

With Spina Bifida Occulta there is often a loss of the interspinous ligament between the 5th lumbar and the sacrum. This situation can lead to instability with spinal flexion and pain. The only other structures in the area to contribute to stabilization are the tonic postural muscles. If the tonic muscles also become damaged then a serious painful low back situation can result. I have a spina bifida occulta and had 25 years of low back pain. There is a chiropractic technique called Pettibon which uses a device called a Wobble Chair which can strengthen the tonic muscles in the low back and stabilize this spina bifida situation. I am a chiropractor and an acupuncturist and never had lasting relief until the last couple of years since using the wobble chair. It is the only thing that worked for me.

David Dow DC,LAc
Madison,WI

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