DROP-TABLE TECHNIQUE

BIRTH OF THE DROP TABLE

The history behind the drop table is interesting, and if there are no such things as accidents, this surely is representative of such. As a Palmer student, Thompson purchased a used table with a broken headpiece. Because the headpiece would drop slightly when a thrust was delivered, Thompson began achieving great results. He only realized what a difference the “drop” made after purchasing a new table with a sturdy, stable headpiece.

His patients verbalized their dislike of the new table, causing Thompson to think twice about his old table, the broken headpiece, and whether it was related to his patients’ favorable results. The outcome, in turn, was the invention of the drop headpiece, and subsequent development of the Thompson Technique.

A TECHNIQUE FOR THE DROP-TABLE

It was only natural that Thompson develop an adjusting technique to accompany his drop table creation. The Thompson Technique, designed to be used with the Thompson table, utilizes a leg check to pinpoint vertebral subluxations. It consists of five categories that will identify whether the problem exists in the cervical or lumbo-sacral region, as well as help order each adjustment:

• Cervical Syndrome
• Positive Derefield
• Negative Derefield
• Bilateral Cervical Syndrome
• X-Derefield

The Thompson Technique is very effective when used with the drop table. However, the drop table also lends itself to many other techniques such as Gonstead, SOT, Diversified, and Logan Basic, only adding to its versatility in the chiropractic practice.