• Activator Adjusting Instrument • Impac’s Pro-ArthoStim
• Neuromechanical Innovations’ Impulse® and Impulse iQ® • Sense Technology’s PulStar
So many great adjusting instruments out there, but who’s got the time to figure out which one is right for them, right? Well, as always, we here at The American Chiropractor Magazine know exactly what you are looking for. We went ahead and contacted the marketing department of four of the most popular adjusting instruments in the Chiropractic Profession. We asked each of them one simple question, that each were happy to answer, although a little upset in the space constraint that we gave them, as each was happy to talk for pages on the topic: What is the one factor that differentiates the instrument you represent from the others in the market? Please read what each of them had to say.
| Activator Adjusting Instrument |
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Activator Methods International has been providing chiropractic care, resources and training since 1967. Established on the principles of clinical research, the company’s major contribution to chiropractic care is the discovery and development of the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique and the associated Activator Adjusting Instrument. Activator Methods was co-founded by Arlan W. Fuhr, DC, who serves as the company’s CEO. Activator Methods International; 2950 N. 7th Street, Suite 200; Phoenix, AZ 85014; 1-800-598-0224; www.activator.com.
Activator Methods: Over the past four decades, the Activator Method has grown to become the world’s number one instrument adjusting technique for chiropractors. The mainstay of this gentle, low-force technique is the Activator Adjusting Instrument, which is supported by extensive research, provides unparalleled reliability and produces positive results for patients.
Why is the Activator Adjusting Instrument the superior option for chiropractors worldwide? Unlike other chiropractic adjusting instruments, the patented design and engineering of the Activator has been proven effective through clinical trials, as evidenced in numerous published papers.
The Activator Adjusting Instrument is made of quality, sturdy materials, including stainless steel, and is covered by a one-year warranty, the best in the industry. And Activator Methods also provides product liability coverage for doctors who use the Activator Adjusting Instrument.
The Activator Adjusting Instrument is available in several models, to suit the varying needs of every chiropractor. The Activator II is ideal for the newer doctor who is recently trained on the Activator Method. This instrument is constructed of stainless steel exclusively and has variable settings, ranging in force from 11 pounds for pediatric care to 28 pounds for adults. The Activator II is available in both regular grip and EZ grip models for ergonomic comfort.
The Activator IV, developed for the more advanced chiropractic physician, is constructed of lightweight materials with special ergonomic handles. The range-of-force settings offer great flexibility, with 16 pounds to 38 pounds of thrust. The Activator IV’s ratchet setting also ensures exact force from each setting. The most unique feature of this instrument is its five pound preload capability that automatically tells you when to stop pressing on the patient before an adjustment.
Regardless of which Activator Adjusting Instrument chiropractic physicians choose, they can rest assured that they will be using a highly-developed instrument and one that will, no doubt, bring much needed relief to patients.
For more information about the Activator Adjusting Instrument, visit www.activator.com
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Impac’s Pro-ArthoStim |
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IMPAC Inc. began producing high quality instruments for the chiropractic profession in 1982. Their product line has continued to expand and evolve over the last 27 years. Their ArthroStim® and VibraCussor® instruments are currently used in many thousands of private clinics worldwide and they are an integral component of many somatic techniques. Impac Inc. designs and manufactures all of their instruments onsite, in the USA. This enables them to provide rigorous quality control and helps to ensure availability of the instruments. They are able to provide custom manufacturing services to enhance a specific technique approach and to facilitate research. Call 1-800-569-8624 or visit
Impac: Some would answer that because the Pro-ArthroStim has a number of patents, and some pending, that this alone makes it unique. Among the many innovations of the Pro-ArthroStim, one of the favorite ones that doctors appreciate is the Pro-ArthroStim’s intuitive “tactile sense thrusting technology”. This technology is designed to mimic a “hands-on” feel and action that most practitioners are accustomed to. It allows the doctor to sense changes in tissue and muscle tone directly through the instrument. The Pro-ArthroStim’s design also permits a practitioner to change the amount of thrusting force that is produced—without stopping to reset knobs, switches or software settings. For example, the thrusting force can be increased or decreased simply by changing the amount of set-up/pre-load pressure that is applied—like manual adjusting.
The Pro-ArthroStim’s unmatched adaptability permits a practitioner to remain in control of the adjusting process-as opposed to being overruled by a machine or computer.* A practitioner can instantly customize the thrust dynamics to meet the needs of each individual patient. Most importantly, the ability to readily control the thrust dynamics allows a practitioner to transfer clinical skills they have accumulated from prior hands-on experience and apply them via the Pro-ArthroStim instrument.
The Pro-ArthroStim instrument generates a spring-cushioned recoiling thrust—rather than a “hammer-anvil” type thrust, which is used by other adjusting instruments. The Pro-ArthroStim also comes with a full cushion grip handle and an exclusive “comfort-trigger” feature. These features minimize the amount of force transferred back into the practitioner’s hands. When combined with the instrument’s ergonomic design, these features make the Pro-ArthroStim the most comfortable multiple thrusting instrument in the market place. Additionally, the Pro-ArthroStim offers the widest selection of tips in the industry. The wide variety of tips enables practitioners to apply the Pro-ArthroStim instrument in a broad range of protocols.
The Pro-ArthroStim instrument also comes with an extended 4 year warranty and a quarter-year long, money-back satisfaction guarantee. IMPAC is able to back-up the Pro- ArthroStim instrument with an unparalleled performance guarantee as a result of refining and manufacturing the instrument for more than 27 years.
*Other adjusting instruments limit a practitioner’s ability to freely determine the pre-load pressure and/or the thrusting force. Some instruments restrict a practitioner to just 2 or 3 force settings.
For more information, visit www.impacinc.net.
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Neuromechanical Innovations’ Impulse® and Impulse iQ® |
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Contact: David Chubb, Director of Marketing, Neuromechanical Innovations, 101 S. Roosevelt Ave. Chandler, AZ 85226 USA, Tel. 1-480-785-8448, Fax. 1-480-785-3916, [email protected], www.neuromechanical.com |
Neuromechanical Innovations is a research-based medical device manufacturer of the patented, FDA registered, and UL listed, Impulse® family of chiropractic adjusting instruments, in use in over 5,000 chiropractic offices in every state in the USA and over 40 countries around the world. Neuromechanical provides educational training in Impulse Adjusting Technique® at more than 25 seminars each year in most major US cities and international hubs.
Neuromechnical Innovations: “In God we trust, all others, bring data,” is a fitting and illustrious quote from physicist and quality improvement pioneer W. Edwards Deming. Simply stated, the differentiating factor that makes the Impulse® and Impulse iQ® Adjusting Instruments so unique can be answered with one word: Research. Both Impulse® devices were prospectively born out of research to create the most efficient and effective chiropractic adjusting instruments in the industry.
To improve upon the traditional spring-loaded activation devices, the waveform of the Impulse Adjusting Instrument® was optimized to emulate the half-sine wave of a manual thrust—but 100x faster—producing more bone movement with less force (JMPT, 2005, 2006). Impulse® was then shown to produce a wider range of forces for clinicians to choose from and more vertebral motion during an adjustment in a follow-up study (JMPT, 2006). The multiple-thrust feature of Impulse® was also found to increase mobility by 25% over single thrusts (Chiropractic & Osteopathy, 2006). These features along with single and dual stylus’ and preload indication, with the affordable cost of Impulse® ($789) are responsible for its exponential growth in the chiropractic industry to 5,000 offices in the USA and over 40 countries around the world.
In studying how vertebrae moved, a gold-standard biomechanical assessment of actually placing steel pins into the spinous processes to measure spine motion was conducted, along with measuring neurophysiologic responses of adjustments. After tuning in what speeds, frequencies, and forces provided the most effective adjustments, a motion sensor was added to Impulse® which is connected to a computer microprocessor inside the instrument allowing spinal motions to be measured non-invasively. Impulse iQ® was born. We validated this technology to the gold-standard and published it in the August 15, 2009 issue of the orthopaedic journal, Spine. The Auto-Sense® technology of Impulse iQ® enables the adjustment to be tuned to the natural frequency of the individual segment in each patient while providing the clinician with biomechanical feedback about the body’s response to the treatment. As motion improves during the adjustment, the iQ’s Auto-Sense® technology recalibrates the adjustment frequency in real time to keep up with the patients new motion pattern and thrusting stops when motion has been maximized. This patented technology is a truly distinguishing feature from any other adjusting instrument available at any price point.
Neuromechanical Innovations is the first and only manufacturer or distributor of chiropractic adjusting instruments to receive the prestigious UL-Listing mark for the Impulse® family of adjusting instruments and is among few in the chiropractic industry with such designation.
For more information, visit www.neuromechanical.com
Find references online at www.theamericanchiropractor.com
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Sense Technology’s PulStar |
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The goal of Sense Technology and everyone associated with the Company is to provide instrumentation that will enable clinicians to provide patients with the most efficient and effective therapy possible while maximizing the number of patients that can be treated by the clinician. Sense Technology originated the computerized adjusting system known as the FRAS (Function Recording and Analysis System) and currently markets the latest state-of-the-art spinal analysis and adjustment system, the PulStar. Published research documents the reliability and efficiency of this affordable system. For more information on Pulstar call 800-628-9416 or visit
Sense Technology: When the PulStar adjusting head with automatic pre-load impulse mechanism (US Pat #4,841,955-1989) was introduced, it changed instrument adjusting forever. For the first time, the chiropractor could apply a measured and repeatable adjusting impulse to the patient. Although copied by others, this mechanism has been refined over the years and now automatically matches the force setting chosen for the adjustment.
In 1993, the precision controlled impulse was extended to analysis of the patient’s spine with Computerized Fixation Imaging™ a graphical pre- and post-adjustment display (US Pat # 5,662,122). This computerized system enables the control of analysis and adjustment through the computer screen or from the adjusting head and allows the patient and physician to see the results of the adjustment in real time. The full spine display ensures that problems between each area of the spine are dealt with effectively and the graphical record can be printed out for the patient and used to:
• document each patient visit
• obtain reimbursement
• enhance patient referrals
The PulStar has more rates and force levels available for adjusting and analyzing than any other system. The force of the impulse is settable from 5 pounds to 35 pounds. The rate of impulse application automatically adjusts to the severity of the spinal fixation during adjustment or can be set from 2 to 20 Hz at all force levels and to 90 Hz in the sweep mode.
Unlike systems that feature only one position, the PulStar adjustment can be made in the prone, sitting and standing positions and enhanced through positional adjusting where preloading the body is achieved with no stress on the chiropractor. The PulStar’s quiet adjustment is produced through a true impulse rather than an impact. Unique to the PulStar is the computer voice prompt at each phase of analysis and treatment allowing the chiropractor to focus on the patient rather than the computer screen.
The PulStar also includes a networked patient database which allows the chiropractor to access any patient file from any PulStar. Initial patient entry into the database is made at a front desk computer and effortlessly accessed from any adjusting station. The database contains patient demographics as well as parameters of adjustment including vertebrae adjusted, force setting and number of impulses used on each patient visit. The database interfaces with multiple independently developed documentation and billing systems giving the doctor more flexibility in their choice of EHR systems.
All-in-all, the PulStar represents a unique advance in instrument adjusting that is constantly being improved by a dedicated team of engineering and scientific professionals as well as many, many members of the chiropractic profession.
For more information, visit www.Pulstar.us