Does the “Ring Dinger” Correct a Vertebral Subluxation?
Jarek Esarco
In the world of internet “crack addicts”, the latest viral sensation is something called the Ring Dinger Y Strap Manipulation or “Ring Dinger” for short. Patients often come into my office and ask questions about this so-called “adjustment.” So what is the “Ring Dinger”?
The “Ring Dinger” involves placing a strap or towel under a patient's chin and around the base of the skull. The Chiropractor then grabs the strap/towel on either side of the head and applies a quick pull up the spine. This aggressive traction move often leads to a series of audible "cracks" along the spine.
Simply put, the “Ring Dinger” is not an adjustment, but a manipulation. While a manipulation and an adjustment might look similar to an outsider, there are some important differences between the two.
An adjustment is a calculated force applied to a specific spinal bone (singular) to reduce a vertebral subluxation. What is a vertebral subluxation? A vertebral subluxation is the incorrect arrangement of a spinal bone that interferes with nerve function.
A manipulation, on the other hand, is putting any bone of the body (one or many at a time) through a hyper-range of motion to increase mobility. The “Ring Dinger” by definition is a manipulation.
It is interesting to note that no accredited Chiropractic college in the United States or Canada teaches the “Ring Dinger” manipulation. This information comes from research conducted by the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Board in 2023.
While it is not within the purview of a Chiropractic college to teach all adjustment techniques, it does highlight the fact that not a single college finds benefit in this maneuver. One goal of a Chiropractic college is to produce competent Chiropractors who are skillful in safe, scientific and effective adjustment techniques. The fact that the “Ring Dinger” is not taught should bring some trepidation to the mind of anyone who seeks out this manipulation.
While both an adjustment and manipulation “move bones”, the intentionality of each creates a chasm between them. An adjustment aims to correct a vertebral subluxation, a manipulation does not. The goal of Chiropractic care is to analyze the spine for a vertebral subluxation and correct this health disruption with as much specificity as possible. That is not the goal of the “Ring Dinger.”
If you are a patient who is seeking out a Chiropractor, you should be granted access to what Chiropractic care is and what it has to offer. This should be the same with any health care service. You expect a medical doctor to practice medicine, an osteopathy to practice osteopathy, a naturopath to practice naturopathy, etc.
If a Chiropractor doesn’t provide an adjustment or presents a bill of goods being sold as an “adjustment”, what are they practicing?
Jarek Esarco, DC, CACCP is a pediatric, family wellness and upper cervical specific Chiropractor. He is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Jarek has postgraduate certification in Pediatric Chiropractic through the ICPA. Dr. Jarek also has postgraduate certification in the HIO Specific Brain Stem technique through The TIC Institute. Dr. Jarek is happily married to his wife Regina. They live in Youngstown, Ohio with their daughter Ruby.