NUCCA is not quite old enough to deserve a pension, but it is certainly old enough to have some experience with life.
Formed a half century ago, NUCCA continues to thrive and has enabled chiropractors to help untold numbers of patients manage their injuries effectively.
The organization was started in Michigan by a dedicated chiropractor, Dr. Ralph Gregory. As the story is shared, Dr. Gregory was a reluctant educator. Much to his chagrin, chiropractors kept coming to his office asking him to teach them the work; eventually he relented and formed the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association (NUCCA), a not-for-profit organization to educate chiropractors in the optimal care of upper neck imbalances.
Dedicated to procedural optimization, Dr. Gregory’s greatest interest wasn’t in marketing NUCCA, but instead it was in researching the best methods to reduce imbalances in the neck. “The work will stand on its merits”—an oft repeated mantra of Dr. Gregory. The specificity, elegance, and non-invasive nature of NUCCA continues to create a sense of awe in new and established patients when they experience the adjustment.
To advance NUCCA, he founded a research organization which is today called the Upper Cervical Research Society (UCRF) and continues to engage in research to further our understanding of this pathology and to investigate the effects of upper neck imbalances on human health.
Due to the dedicated chiropractors and patients that have contributed their time, talent, and treasure over the first 5 decades of this organization, today we have a procedure that is vibrant, agile, and able to provide resources to chiropractors so they can become proficient in NUCCA procedures at a rate of speed not previously imagined. All of this is for the dream of a world where less people are suffering needlessly without knowledge of a potential solution. Give us a try, you won’t regret it!
Written by Dr. Jeff Scholten
