About PulStar Impulse Therapy Chiropractic Equipment
More than 30 years of “helping healing hands.”
Our History
Explore the milestones behind PulStar’s research, technology, and development.
1980s–1990s
The origins of PulStar
1980s
Early ideas for instrument adjusting
An Idaho chiropractor was using a dental instrument as a “Precision Spinal Adjustor” for his patients. He sent it to engineers to design it to become a more reliable instrument.
1987
The Precision Adjustor is presented
Dr. Joseph Evans, inventor of the PulStar system, designed the Model -115 Precision Adjustor, which was presented at the 1987 at the Las Vegas Conference of the ACA/ICA, and Dr. Walter Vernon Pierce joined the team in a marketing capacity because he believed it was a vital tool for the chiropractic world.
1989June
Sense Technology is incorporated
Sense Technology (formerly Kinetic Technology) is incorporated
1993
The first computerized PulStar system
The first PulStar computerized analysis & multiple impulse adjusting technology system is released. Referred to as the FRAS or PulStarFRAS (Force Recording & Analysis System).
1995
Front desk and screening software
Development of PulStar front desk and screening software
2002–2009
Research and refinement
2002January
Infant colic research
Dr. Joseph Evans publishes infant colic study
2002February
The minimum energy hypothesis
Dr. Joseph Evans publishes “The minimum energy hypothesis: a unified model of fixation resolution.”
2003
Christian Evans returns
Christian Evans, current Sense Technology President, returns to Sense Technology – PulStar
2003October
Spinal instrument reliability study
Dr. Joseph Evans publishes “PulStar differential compliance spinal instrument: a randomized interexaminer and intraexaminer reliability study.”
2006January
Multiple impulse therapy pilot study
Dr. Joseph Evans publishes “Pilot study of patient response to multiple impulse therapy for musculoskeletal complaints.”
2006
Patient treatment positional system
Integrated patient treatment positional system is introduced.
2007
Kinetic and Sense Technology merge
Kinetic Technology merges with Sense Technology, Inc.
2009
Ergonomic impulse head introduced
PulStar Ergonomic Head is introduced as new therapy/analysis treatment tool.
2016–2019
Advancing the technology
2016
Atraumatic pain theory published
Dr. Joseph Evans publishes “On The Origin of Atraumatic Neuromusculoskeletal Pain” describing a new theory on the cause of Atraumatic Pain.
2017
A more efficient impulse head
Introduction of an improved impulse head with better efficiency.
2019
Spinal stiffness research
The European Space Agency in collaboration with the Balgrist University Hospital publish research using PulStar to Measure Spinal Stiffness in the European Spine Journal.
2020–2023
A new generation of PulStar
2020
An eighth patent for Dr. Evans
Dr. Evans receives his 8th patent for an apparatus for inphase treatment of Atraumatic Musculoskeletal Pain using light and vibration therapy combined.
2021
New PulStar and iPad apps
Introduction of the new PulStar App written from the ground up to support the latest Apple M1 processors for faster, more efficient and more intuitive access to the full power of PulStar. The app has updates requested by PulStar doctors for easier reporting and a companion iPad app to allow the front desk to add patients and the doctors to review patient visits from anywhere.
2022
Higher impulse frequency
The PulStar maximum frequency in the Osseous & Specific modes is increased to 35 impulses per second from 22 impulses per second. This enhanced frequency setting allows PulStar to adjust the patient with the fastest frequency available on any visual analysis & adjusting system today.
2023
Osseous mode refinement
The PulStar Osseous mode is updated to enable the force to increase as the rate decreases during the adjustment to keep th force dosage the same across the adjusting time and as the fixation is released.
About Us
“Praise the Lord, there is no pain!” said the patient. In 1987, chiropractor Dr. Walter Vernon Pierce invited Dr. Joseph Evans, PhD, and his team to demonstrate the Model -115 Precision Adjustor on a patient. The patient, a minister, could barely walk due to unbearable pain in his cervical spine and sacrum. However, after one round of gentle impulses from Dr. Evans’ device, the patient walked around the room pain-free. As a result, the patient referred his entire congregation to Dr. Pierce. Additionally, Dr. Pierce agreed to help Dr. Evans promote the Precision Adjustor to the chiropractic world.
“Without his help, we couldn’t have gotten started,” says Dr. Evans, founder of Sense Technology, Inc. (formerly Kinetic Technology) and developer of the PulStar line of chiropractic tools. In 1989, Dr. Evans founded Sense Technology with one goal in mind: to provide “help for healing hands” and invent products that would revolutionize the chiropractic industry.
The journey began with the Precision Adjustor, which Dr. Evans used on Dr. Pierce’s patient in 1987. The Precision Adjustor, a multiple impulse therapy tool, was designed to send targeted, precise amounts of pressure into troubled areas of a patient’s spine. This emulated what chiropractors do with their hands, but without the stress for the chiropractor or the popping and cracking for the patient.
Dr. Evans continued developing the Precision Adjustor until 1993. In that year, he released the first PulStar system, which significantly advanced the technology. PulStar computerized the existing technology of the Precision Adjustor, allowing doctors to use it in analysis mode. This enabled them to see exactly where treatment should be applied and to show their patients the results in real-time.
Thanks to a dedicated team of researchers and developers led by Dr. Evans, The PulStar G3 Vision Suites of today have evolved significantly from that original model in 1993. The impulse therapy analysis and treatment tool is now nearly effortless to operate. It offers customizable settings for individual patients and has multiple attachments for various chiropractic methods. The sophisticated PulStar software provides accurate analyses that are easily understood by both doctor and patient, allowing patients to see evidence of their own improvement. Features like patient viewing screens, integrated patient treatment stands and system portability are among the incredible advancements of today’s PulStar suites.
After more than 30 years of providing “help for healing hands,” some constants remain. Sense Technology stays ahead in developing chiropractic tools, constantly innovating using scientific research. This lends predictability and provable results to the PulStar system. Furthermore, Sense Technology employees remain as dedicated to the products and the company as ever. “What we do is exciting because it affects so many lives,” says Dr. Evans. “With the PulStar instrument, we’ve been able to treat and get hundreds of thousands of people out of pain quickly. That, to us, is a remarkable achievement.”
Our Team
Dr. Joseph Evans
Sense Technology Founder and CEO
Dr. Evans returned from Vietnam in 1967 and decided to finish his PhD thesis at CMU. He spent three years evaluating and developing a heart assist device for his thesis project. After graduating with a PhD in Civil and Bio-Technology, he joined Westinghouse to further develop the heart assist device. Eventually, he became the head of the Bio Systems Instrumentations Group. After five years at Westinghouse, Dr. Evans invented and patented a coke oven sealant, which was sold to steel companies.
Although he spent many years in that role, he wanted to return to developing medical products. When given the chance to review a chiropractic adjustment tool design in the early '80s, he eagerly embraced the opportunity. Since then, Dr. Evans has dedicated himself to research and product development for the chiropractic industry. Today, thousands of chiropractors worldwide use his PulStar products.
Christian Evans
Sense Technology President
Christian Evans began working for his family’s business, Sense Technology, in 1993. As a Systems Analyst, he assisted with computer programming and software engineering for the PulStar systems. In 1997, he left Sense Technology to study Philosophy at Goucher College in Maryland. While studying, he also worked as a consulting analyst at Innovative Decisions, Inc. in Turtle Creek. Christian returned to Sense Technology in 2003, initially as a software developer. Later, he became the President of the company. Today, Christian manages operations, company systems, planning, administration, and customer support at Sense Technology.
What The PulStar Doctors Are Saying
Hear how other Chiropractors delivered evidence-based chiropractic, and prolonged their careers with PulStar.
Our patented technologies are specifically designed to help your "healing hands."
About PulStar: common questions
Learn about the company, the system’s origins and its development.
Who developed PulStar?
Dr. Joseph Evans, PhD, developed PulStar and founded the company now known as Sense Technology, Inc. The company’s work began with the Precision Adjustor in the 1980s and later expanded into computerized analysis, multiple impulse adjusting instruments and software for chiropractic practices.
When was the first computerized PulStar system introduced?
The first computerized PulStar analysis and multiple impulse adjusting system was released in 1993. It was known as FRAS or PulStarFRAS. That release added computerized analysis to the earlier Precision Adjustor technology developed during the 1980s.
What is the relationship between PulStar and Sense Technology?
PulStar is the chiropractic instrument and software line developed by Sense Technology, Inc. The company history also refers to Kinetic Technology, the earlier company name. The About page follows that history from the Precision Adjustor through the development of PulStar systems and software.
How has PulStar developed over time?
PulStar’s development has included changes to its impulse instrument, patient positioning options and software. The company timeline records a positional system introduced in 2006, an ergonomic head in 2009 and a new PulStar app in 2021, with reporting and patient-visit review features.
Where can I review research associated with PulStar?
PulStar’s history lists publications related to the instrument, spinal stiffness measurement and multiple impulse therapy. The clinical research resource provides a place to explore that material. Read each study for its specific question, methods and findings when assessing how it relates to your own clinical interests.