Activator as a therapeutic instrument: Survey of usage and opinions amongst members of the British Chiropractic Association - Chiropractic Treatment

Activator as a therapeutic instrument: Survey of usage and opinions amongst members of the British Chiropractic Association
June 2006
Dicken T. Reada, Francis J.H. Wilsonb, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author and Hugh A. Gemmellb
aChelmsford Chiropractic Clinic, 5 First Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1RX, UK
bAnglo-European College of Chiropractic, 13-15 Parkwood Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH5 2DF, UK
Clinical Chiropractic

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.

An online subscription or single article purchase is required to access this article.