Question
Hi, I just wanted to ask if you know about a chiropractic technique where the doctor uses a little handheld device against your muscle that basically does a little "punch" and makes a clicking noise.  I don't know what it's called.  I have been to chiropractors before but have never had this clicking thing done.  He also had me lie down and told me to hold my arms and head in certain positions and then tried to push them down or up while I resisted the movement.  He said that if it was a weak movement, that it was due to the nerves not sending enough signal to the muscle and that's why it was weak.  However, after he did the clicking thing, he redid this test to show me how much the adjustment helped...but, I KNOW that he wasn't using nearly as much pressure the second time around, so it seemed as if I was indeed "stronger".  He also told me that one should was a little higher than the other and then did the clicking thing which he said evened them out.  

I just wanted to know your opinion on whether this is common and sound chiropractic technique and information or if this guy is a quack!  

By the way, my initial complaint was neck pain from sleeping funny on the pillow and hand numbness (longstanding).  I have been to another chiropractor a couple of years ago that did some stretching of my arm and cracking here and there and it made the numbness go away for about a year.  

Any thoughts?  Thanks!

Answer
Dear AllExperts User:

Here is an update on the petition project I emailed you about previously.  A few changes were needed to correct and clarify the petition, requiring me to restart using a new one.  The means that everyone who signed needs to resign the new form which is located at http://www.petitiononline.com/ajb2/petition.html

There really seems to be a good deal of support for this initiative to clean up misinformation about chiropractic in the most widely used career sourcebook for students.

Please visit the site, review the new petition and add your support.  I also am asking everyone to contact as many friends and family members as possible to get the message out either by emailing them directly or passing a message on to distribution lists and discussion forums.  I am certain that health professionals, students and smart consumers would appreciate learning more about this subject and join us.  If enough attention is raised I am confident we can make a difference and get this fixed!

Thank you again for your support,
Allen Botnick DC BA