What a Koch Protocols Seminar Looks Like

Part One — The First Visit Consultation, Examination and Treatment with Focus on  Balancing the Pelvis

Part One of the Koch Protocols seminars will cover the basics of my technique approach including my unique approach to the first visit examination, consultation and treatment. I do a very complete examination during the first visit to determine weaknesses and imbalances throughout the structure.  And no matter what issue the patient presents as the main problem, I always begin my treatment by balancing the pelvis. As with the foundation of a house, if it is not level and balanced, nothing in the house will be level, strong or stable.

Therefore, much of the focus of this first seminar will be Balancing the Pelvis.  I will spend a lot of time teaching the examination and treatment protocols I use to achieve this, which will include the use of SOT blocks and how I determine what category of SOT blocking is most appropriate according to examination indicators.

To start making remarkable changes in your patients, you must first be sure they have a stable foundation — the pelvis.

Part Two — Evaluating and Correcting the Thoracic and Cervical Spine, Bio-cervical Procedures, TMJ and Other Specialized Soft Tissue Techniques

Part Two will be a continuation of Part One but will focus on examination and correction of the thoracic and cervical spine with the objective of re-establishing the functional inter-relationship between the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine and providing an understanding of the difference between a segmental vs. a regional approach to spinal correction.

I will teach you how I use both instrument and specific manual adjusting techniques for the thoracic and cervical spine, which includes Gonstead cervical chair adjustments.  I will also teach my favorite cervical adjustment: a three-dimensional seated occipital technique, which I learned from Dr. Clay Thompson. I have often said that if I could only do one cervical move it would be Dr. Thompson’s occipital adjustment.

You will also learn some low force cervical/cranial treatments, internal TMJ corrections and other specific soft tissue orthopedic techniques to give you the tools to deal with your most difficult and challenging cases.

In these seminars I will demonstrate my integrated technique approach which includes many of the techniques I have learned over my years in practice.  While I use many manual technique methods including SOT, Gonstead, Pettibon, and others, I have integrated these with the use of hand held instrument adjusting to get exceptional results very quickly. Instrument adjusting is a major part of the Koch Method.

In recent years there have been enormous improvements in the design and technology of hand held chiropractic instruments, as well as in the various technique methods for their use. This has resulted in the opportunity for significantly better, faster results for our patients. It has also resulted in effective treatment options that are much easier on the doctors.

The equipment I use is simple and portable.  Mostly I use just a flat table, SOT blocks, the ArthroStim®, VibraCussor® and GRT Lite®

While technically I have divided the course into two parts – In reality during the first three day seminar you will get an introduction to most of the things I do. While in the first part the part you will practice is my Balancing the Pelvis protocol, you will see me demonstrate anything that presents itself in a case.  And the cases will be each of the doctors attending.  Each one will be treated as a patient for anything that is indicated by the consultation and examination.  So you will see how I approach most issues.  More detailed instruction and practice of many of these will have to wait until Part II or the Advanced Seminar.

Main Benefits of Instrument Adjusting

1. Patients love instrument adjusting. It is gentle and eliminates the joint cracking sounds many find intimidating and offensive. While gentle it can achieve very fast and dramatic results that “wow” the patients.
2. Instrument adjusting allows greater precision and versatility in adjusting the spine and extremities.
3. Instrument adjusting dramatically reduces the stress on the doctor’s body. Too many chiropractors’ careers are cut short by injuries which occur at a rate comparable to professional football players. Instrument adjusting extends and even saves careers.
4. Instrument adjusting permits adjusting of the full spine or selected areas in a wide range of positions: the usual prone and supine or with patients sitting or standing or even with the patient in motion. In fact, instruments allow for dynamic adjusting of the patient while walking in place, adding a whole new dimension to the corrective process by allowing adjustments to be made in motion and under full weight bearing loads.

The Koch Protocols Course Objectives

1. Provide the doctor with a detailed and purposely sequenced protocol for examination leading to evidence based analytical conclusions. All corrective procedures are chosen to directly address the positive examination findings and conclusions.
2. Introduce a high level of precision and specificity to the corrective process.
3. Demonstrate and instruct how instruments can be used in a variety of ways and for various specific results.
4. Demonstrate how instruments allow us to address specific, objective examination findings and make appropriate corrections with a degree of effectiveness that allows the doctor to show immediate functional improvements on post adjustment re-examination. This clearly demonstrates to doctor and patient that his protocol has had a positive effect.
5. Give participants a chance to work one on one with me for “hands on” practice with the technique protocols I use.  Each attendee will experience my examination and treatment protocols first hand as “the patient” and as the doctor.