Since the spring of 2017 students attending the College of Chiropractic at Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) have been using Force Sensing Table Technology™ (FSTT) to develop their psychomotor skills for chiropractic adjusting. Within just one year, the benefits of this innovative training tool became undeniable, prompting CUKC administrators to secure a second FSTT system this spring. The purchase makes CUKC the first chiropractic educational institution in the nation with two force-sensing tables available to its students.
FSTT™ is an adjusting training table that electronically monitors the amount of force applied by the student during a chiropractic adjusting thrust. The force sensing table captures and instantaneously displays data on computer screen monitors that represents a force-time curve. This information can then be used as a teaching aid to instruct student interns on the proper amount of force needed for each manual adjustment.
Developed by Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, the therapeutic table utilizes integrated force plate technology to take precise measurements of force generated by the user during an adjustment. It measures in three different directions, including floor to ceiling, from head to toe, and from side to side on the table. It also calculates the amount of force used prior to thrust, as well as the speed and the direction of the adjustment. The FSTT™ can also capture video of the user for a visual reference to compare to their performance analytics displayed on the monitors.
“The long-term advantage of this technology, beyond the immediate educational benefits, is that our graduates will have a wide range of forces available to them in practice, and will be able to know accurately how much force they are using,” Dr. Jon Wilson, dean of the College of Chiropractic, said. “If future research shows ideal levels of force for certain populations or conditions, our graduates will be competent and confident in their ability to reproduce those forces.”
Wilson has taught adjusting techniques to students at CUKC for more than five years. He said the FSTT™ technology is an equalizer in the classroom because the high-speed video feedback can capture what the human eye may miss. As a result, it can answer many of the questions regarding the training and preparation of student interns.
Using FSTT allows educators to elevate chiropractic student adjustment training in the classroom. Now, with two of the tables in use on campus, CUKC chiropractic students have more access to this learning tool that helps them to measure their skills and increase their confidence.
