From its birth to the present, the chiropractic profession has
been interested in methods to restore normal alignment
(structure) to the spinal column, with the ultimate purpose of
restoring normal function to the spine and nervous components
housed inside. Interestingly, mechanical traction has been used
by chiropractors to reduce spinal misalignments, in spite of the
fact that chiropractic is a profession founded on the principle
of “by hands only” interventions. In this brief treatise, the
use of mechanical traction as a means to reduce subluxations of
the lumbar lordotic curve is traced from the profession’s origin
to the modern era. Lumbar Extension Traction The use of traction
for subluxation correction can be traced to chiropractic’s
original “mixer” practitioner, Solon Massey Langworthy, D.C., a
1901 graduate of D. D. Palmer’s chiropractic school. Langworthy,
one of Palmer’s original twelve chiropractic disciples,
established a thriving practice and chiropractic school
(American School of Chiropractic