MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Public Health and Welfare

By: Senator(s) Huggins

AN ACT TO CODIFY SECTION 73-6-35, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROHIBIT PERSONS FROM PERFORMING CERTAIN SPINAL MANIPULATION OR ADJUSTMENT WITHOUT QUALIFICATIONS AND TO PRESCRIBE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. The following provision shall be codified as Section 73-6-35, Mississippi Code of 1972:

73-6-35. (1) No person may perform a spinal manipulation or adjustment without first having the legal authority to differentially diagnose and have received a minimum of four hundred (400) hours of classroom instruction. In spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment and a minimum of eight hundred (800) hours of supervised clinical training at a facility where spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment is a primary method of treatment. For purpose of this section "manipulation or adjustment" refers to a variety of specific manual and/or mechanical interventions which may be of high or low velocity; high or low amplitude, with or without recoil. These passive movements, at times move the joint into the paraphysiologic range which is accompanied by a cavitation or gapping of a joint which results in an intrasynovial vacuum phenoenom thought to involve gas separation from fluid. Usually accompanied by an audible sound. This increase in motion has a refractory period during which an additional cavitation of the same joint will not occur. These various manipulative/adjustive procedures have been shown to result in increased joint motion, compared to mobilization alone. The common denominator for the various manipulative/adjustive interventions is the reduction or correction of the vertebral subluxation, joint dysfunction, joint restriction or other biomechanical or manipulative lesion.

(2) Violation of this section is an unlawful practice of chiropractic and is grounds for the offending healthcare provider's licensing board to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew such providers license or take other disciplinary action allowed by law. Any unlicensed individual found to be in violation of this act shall be subject to fines assessed by the Mississippi State Board of Chiropractic examiners for practicing chiropractic without a license.

(3) Nothing in this section shall in anyway apply to the scope of practice of:

(a) Any osteopathic physician licensed under Mississippi Code of 1972.

(b) Any person who practices medicine of surgery who is licensed under Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2000.