NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT BRINGS RELEIF TO CHIROPRACTIC PATIENTS
Trenton, NJ; June 18, 2008 – The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled today that it is once again within the chiropractic scope of practice to diagnose, adjust and treat extraspinal joints, such as upper and lower limbs, as long as there is a nexus to the spine.
In April 2007, a New Jersey appellate court ruled in the malpractice case of Bedford v. Riello that adjusting extraspinal joints exceeded the state’s chiropractic scope of practice. “The ruling by the appellate court contradicted the long-standing position of the New Jersey State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, which has operated under the regulation that allows chiropractors to treat articulations of the spine and related structures,” said Dr. Steven Clarke, President of the Association of New Jersey Chiropractors (ANJC).
This decision made New Jersey the only state in the country to prohibit performing extraspinal adjustments.
With the assistance of the ANJC, the appellate decision was appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court. During the appeal process, licensed chiropractors in the state of New Jersey had to halt adjusting articulations of extraspinal joints which negatively impacted hundreds of thousands of patients immediately.
Dr. Sigmund Miller, Executive Director of the ANJC, added, “today’s Supreme Court ruling brings relief to many thousands of patients who have previously benefited from extraspinal adjustments, and who were deprived of the continuation of their treatment by the decision in the Bedford v. Riello case. This ruling permits highly skilled and trained chiropractors to be able to once again perform these procedures so patients can experience the kind of improved quality of life they’ve come to expect from receiving chiropractic care.”
For more information contact:
Jon R. Bombardieri, Capital Public Affairs
(609) 514-2600
Dr. Sigmund Miller, Executive Director - ANJC
(908) 377-7445
