Chiropractic Techniques
Chiropractic Techniques
Techniques Overview
Hands-On Training for Future Chiropractors
Chiropractic care is rooted in the ability to assess, adapt and adjust with confidence. At Life University, Doctor of Chiropractic students are introduced to a wide range of techniques, strategies and specialties designed to help them build the hands-on skills needed for patient-centered care.
Through required courses and elective opportunities, students gain experience with full spine adjusting, upper cervical approaches, extremity work, special populations, instrument-assisted techniques, sports chiropractic applications, pediatric and prenatal care and more.
Courses marked as Required are part of the D.C. curriculum. Courses marked as Elective give students the opportunity to explore specialized techniques and areas of interest that may support their future practice goals.
Our Approach
Chiropractic Technique Training at Life University.
Life University’s chiropractic technique curriculum gives students exposure to multiple approaches used in chiropractic practice. Students begin with foundational adjusting procedures and progress into more advanced analysis, case management and technique strategy.
This approach helps students develop:
- Hands-on adjusting confidence
- A deeper understanding of spinal and extraspinal analysis
- Exposure to a variety of chiropractic methods and specialties
- Skills for working with different patient populations
- A stronger foundation for clinical practice
- Opportunities to explore technique areas that align with their goals
Whether students are interested in full spine adjusting, upper cervical care, sports chiropractic, family-based care or advanced specialty techniques, Life U offers coursework designed to support their development as future chiropractors.
Course Options
Explore Chiropractic Technique Courses
Life University’s Doctor of Chiropractic curriculum includes required technique courses that build a strong foundation in spinal analysis, adjusting procedures and patient care. Students may also choose from elective courses that allow them to explore specialized techniques, advanced adjusting methods and areas of interest aligned with their future practice goals.
Life University’s required chiropractic technique courses introduce students to foundational adjusting procedures, spinal and extraspinal analysis, special population care and technique strategy. These courses are built into the Doctor of Chiropractic curriculum and help students develop the hands-on confidence needed for clinical practice.
Foundational Spinal Adjusting
Full Spine Technique I
This course introduces selected basic adjustment procedures using full spine, traction-leverage moves. Students learn adjustive setup procedures for the lumbar and pelvic areas of the spine.
Full Spine Technique II
This course builds on Full Spine Technique I and introduces selected adjustment procedures for the cervical and dorsal spine. Students continue reviewing lumbar and pelvic adjustive moves while expanding their full spine technique foundation.
Full Spine Technique III
This course integrates the inter-segmental specific work introduced in Full Spine Technique I and II with x-ray interpretation, instrumentation, motion palpation and static palpation. Students receive more comprehensive training in patient analysis and adjusting procedures before entering the clinical environment.
Gonstead Technique
This course explores the Gonstead Technique as a system of subluxation analysis and correction. Adjustive technique includes side posture, the knee chest table and the cervical chair, with particular attention given to patient case management.
Specialized Spinal Techniques
Upper Cervical Toggle Recoil Technique
This course focuses on the uniqueness of the upper cervical subluxation complex, its relationship to the body as a whole and the history and principles involved in the upper cervical adjusting technique. Students are introduced to atlas and axis analysis, patient placement, doctor stance and setup.
Thompson Technique
This course explores several major methods that use specific drop technique, with emphasis on the Thompson method. The course also addresses the implications of the Derefield leg check.
Sacro-Occipital Technique
This course familiarizes students with the basic elements of analysis and correctional procedures used in Sacro-Occipital Technique, including categorization and specific adjusting.
Clinical Application and Patient Populations
Extra-Spinal Technique I
This course presents protocols for determining and correcting structural and functional problems of the upper extraspinal areas of the body that may affect subluxations of the spine.
Extra-Spinal Technique II
This course presents protocols for determining and correcting structural and functional problems of the lower extraspinal areas of the body that may affect subluxations of the spine.
Adjusting Special Populations
This specialized course focuses on the management of the vertebral subluxation complex as it applies to special populations, including pediatric patients, pregnant women, geriatric patients and patients with physical disabilities.
Technique Strategies
This course provides a review of previously taught techniques, with specific emphasis on analysis, detection and removal of subluxation, as well as chiropractic case management.
In addition to required technique training, Life U offers elective courses that allow students to explore specialized approaches, advanced adjusting methods and areas of interest that may support their future practice goals.
These elective courses give students the opportunity to broaden their technique knowledge, deepen their clinical skills and explore chiropractic specialties such as upper cervical work, sports chiropractic, pediatric care, instrument-assisted techniques and more.
Upper Cervical Electives
Advanced Upper Cervical Toggle Recoil Technique
This course gives students with a serious interest in upper cervical work the opportunity to further investigate and apply the knowledge gained in Upper Cervical Toggle Recoil Technique.
Atlas Orthogonal Technique
This course covers methods of locating cervical spinal subluxations using the Atlas Orthogonal Technique.
H.I.O. Upper Cervical Knee Chest Technique
This course provides students with the knowledge needed to apply H.I.O./Knee Chest Technique in a clinical setting. Students gain knowledge and practice experience in x-ray procedures and analysis, skin temperature differential analysis and knee chest adjusting technique.
NUCCA, National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association
This introductory course explores the technique of the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. Students are introduced to the philosophy, biomechanics of the Atlas Subluxation Complex, x-ray patient positioning, x-ray analysis, proper patient positioning for the adjustment and proper doctor stance and application.
Sports Chiropractic
Life U’s Sports Chiropractic electives allow students to progressively explore athletic assessment, extremity adjusting, injury management and real-world care of athletes and teams.
Sports Chiropractic I
This course introduces students to the care of athletes and the experience of working with teams at different levels of competition. Students explore overall athletic assessment, lower extremity joint function and advanced extremity adjusting techniques used as an adjunct to spinal adjusting.
Sports Chiropractic II
Building on Sports Chiropractic I, this course further explores professional expectations and working with athletic teams at different levels of competition. Students study overall athletic assessment, upper extremity joint function and advanced extremity adjusting techniques used as an adjunct to spinal adjusting.
Sports Chiropractic III
This course focuses on the systematic development of case management skills related to sports injuries. Students study common athletic injuries encountered in clinical and on-field settings and explore approaches to diagnosis, rehabilitation and adjusting.
Sports Chiropractic IV
This practicum provides a structured environment for reflection, case analysis and collaborative learning. Through guided faculty facilitation, students critically evaluate athletes, develop sideline management skills and apply real-time problem-solving in the field.
Extremity and Sports-Focused Electives
Arthrokinematics & Proprioception of the Lower Body
This course provides the study of lower extremity joint function not produced by the action of voluntary muscles. Advanced techniques of extremity adjusting are studied as an adjunct to spinal adjusting.
Arthrokinematics & Proprioception of the Upper Body
This course provides the study of upper extremity joint function not produced by the action of voluntary muscles. Advanced techniques of extremity adjusting are studied as an adjunct to spinal adjusting.
Cox Flexion Distraction Technique
This integrative diagnosis and technique course covers the epidemiology, biomechanics, diagnosis, treatment and management of lower back and lower extremity pain. Emphasis is placed on assessment and treatment using Cox Flexion Distraction Technique.
Instrument, Low-Force and Advanced Adjusting Electives
Activator Technique
This course provides basic instruction in Activator methods and helps students develop the skills needed for accurate location and correction of subluxations according to this system. Upon completion of the course, students should be able to accurately locate spinal landmarks and vertebral levels, perform the leg check procedure, demonstrate an understanding of Activator analysis and correction, and demonstrate skill in the application of the Activator correction.
Advanced Thompson Technique
This course is designed to help students apply more extensive and detailed analysis and adjustment procedures beyond what is presented in Thompson Technique.
Torque Release Technique
This course introduces selected basic instrument adjusting procedures using a low-force, full spine adjusting technique based on the tonal model. Students learn adjusting procedures for the cranium, cervical, thoracic, lumbar, ilium, sacrum and coccyx areas of the spine.
Specialty and Advanced Practice Electives
Clinical Biomechanics of Posture
This course introduces Chiropractic Biophysics, including its history, philosophy and research. Students also study structural rehabilitation of the spine and adjusting procedures for the entire spine.
Introduction to Applied Kinesiology
This course teaches students precise manual muscle testing procedures for the entire body. Students explore applied kinesiology sensory receptor challenges used to guide clinical evaluation of the Vertebral Subluxation Complex, as well as neurologically based hands-on pain relief procedures. The course also presents the principle of mechanoreceptor activity blocking nociceptive activity, with emphasis on manipulations of the atlanto-occipital area, other spinal segments, foot and ankle joints, and trigeminal nerve-innervated tissues for pain relief.
Technique for Cranial and Visceral Dysfunction
This course introduces advanced methods of subluxation detection and correction based on the work of Dr. Major Bertrand DeJarnette and other notable Sacro-Occipital Technique practitioners.
Advanced Pediatric Technique
This course provides advanced information related to chiropractic care for pediatric and prenatal patients. Students explore topics commonly seen in a primary care, family-based practice, including childhood disabilities, traumatic injuries, specialized nutritional needs and pediatric neurology. Specific examination and adjusting techniques are demonstrated and described in the accompanying lab section.
