James M. Cox, DC, DACBR, FICC, HonDLitt, DIANM(H)
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With heavy hearts at the loss of a cherished husband, father, brother, chiropractic mind, leader, colleague, and friend, the team of Cox® Technic announces the passing of Dr. James M. Cox on March 3, 2025. Born on September 11, 1940, Dr. Cox spent his life in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana, less the years he spent at the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, Illinois, and his wife, Judi, worked at a bank and he at Postle’s Health Club for a while to pay his way through school. A graduate of and valedictorian of his class at NCC in 1963, he embraced and forever was grateful for the tutelage of mentors there like Dr. Joseph Janse, whom he has referred to as “the greatest chiropractor of our time,” Dr. Floyd Blackmore, DO, DC, who shared some gentle osteopathic technique for painful spines that Dr. Cox didn’t fully appreciate until later when his stepfather, John C Rodman DC DO, introduced the work of John McManis DO in the book by Alan Stoddard DO. That information changed his professional life as it sparked his interest in what developed into and what today is known as and practiced by nearly 64% of his chiropractic colleagues, Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction Decompression.
As a chiropractic speaker, Dr. Cox has been a proud member of the post-graduate faculty of his alma mater, National University of Health Sciences. With post-graduate director colleagues Dr. Paul Jaskoviak, Dr. Bill Waln, Dr. Dana Lawrence, Dr. Jonathan Soltys, and today, Dr. Jenna Glenn. In his career, he has spoken at nearly every chiropractic school and state association in the US as well as several internationally. One of the highlights of presentations was when he and his colleague, Terry Yochum DC DACBR, presented together at the Challenge of the Lumbar Spine where they presented chiropractic to the medical conference for the first time in 1982 then in 1986. The 1989 presentation for the American Back Society was another exciting talk for him. Internationally, he was honored to speak for the Japanese Chiropractic Association, Danish Chiropractic Association, Swiss Chiropractic Academy, European Chiropractic Union, Collegio de Profesionistas Cientifico Quiropracticos de Mexico, IFEC Chiropractic University (Paris), the 9th Interdisciplinary World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Girdle Pain in Singapore, and most recently the International Consortium on Manual Therapy (hosted by AT Still/University). Further, sharing knowledge annually as an invited presenter and attendee with his fellow chiropractic radiologists throughout his whole career warmed his heart. Being so welcomed to present the examination, diagnosis, and treatment with chiropractic orthopedists (ACCO, IANM, ACO) humbled him. He often donated honoraria to chiropractic research funds in certain years. The Cox® Technic instruction team will continue leading courses as they have been for years: Dean Greenwood DC DIANM, Lee Hazen DC, George Joachim DC DABCR, Ralph Kruse DC DIANM, and Kurt Olding DC DIANM PSP with Kelly Brinkman DC, Joel Dixon DC, Robert Patterson DC, Mike Poulin DC, and Ted Siciliano DC.
As an author, Dr. Cox started writing at the urging of Joseph Howe DC DACBR, his mentor in chiropractic radiology, with whom he’d shared his care of back pain patients with his “new” approach in the 1960’s. Dr. Cox found that sharing his clinical findings in peer-reviewed journals helped him share with his colleagues his methods and outcomes. Eventually, he started writing his “Low Back Pain: Mechanism, Diagnosis, Treatment” textbook through 3 editions privately published when Lippincott Williams and Wilkins (today’s Wolter Kluwers Health) invited him to write for them. His 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th editions were written for LWW/WK. He donated all author royalties to chiropractic research at National, Palmer, and currently Keiser University College of Chiropractic Medicine. His “Neck, Shoulder and Arm Pain: Mechanism, Diagnosis, Treatment” textbook is in its 4th edition and privately published. For his beloved patients and his Cox® Technic colleagues, he wrote patient booklets on spinal conditions to help them understand their issues and brochures to give hope in the care they were receiving, all based on research and science. He recently completed a second draft of a book for the patient that is in the hands of his editor. We will follow the course for its publication in the future. His desire to make sure there was science behind chiropractic care became a passion.
As a clinician researcher, he wanted to document everything he could. He first documented clinical cases, then case series, then fought years to attain major funding to do more major studies when finally in the early 1990’s with Ram Gudavalli PhD, federal funding from HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) was granted to NUHS and its partner Loyola Stritch School of Medicine/Hines VA and AG Patwardhan MD. Two studies were done with HRSA/NUHS, and a third was funded via NIH (National Institute of Health) with Palmer Research with its partner, Loyola Stritch/Hines VA. These studies were pinnacles of his life’s desire for research: funds to do the big studies. Even in his later days, he searched for a repository for funds to continue research and documentation of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management and its protocols to which he devoted his professional life and daily published research study, forwarding new papers to colleagues for their files. His dream: to continue the research, document outcomes, and ultimately help ease human suffering due to spine-related disease. Currently, a central hub of research and publication continues at the Keiser University College of Chiropractic Medicine where the Cox® Fund supports the cause and Ram Gudavalli PhD and Ralph Kruse DC DIANM lead.
As a chiropractic table designer, not a role he ever planned but one that evolved, he worked with various engineers and manufacturers: Barnes in 1970’s/1980’s, Williams Healthcare/Zenith in 1980’s/1990’s, XY Tool & Die/Distraction Enterprises 2000’s, Track Corporation 2000’s, and Haven Innovation 2010s to present. He held a couple patents for various parts of the “instruments” (which he insisted the tables be called!) designed.
As a chiropractic advocate through turbulent times, Dr. Cox sat on the board (NINDS conference) that fought to and determined how chiropractic would be included in Medicare and more locally was president of the Indiana State Chiropractic Association for 8 years and its legislative chairman for 24 years, years in which the medical board held out that chiropractors couldn’t diagnose. He with several colleagues and trusted legal advisor, Edward Treacy, were able to fight years with injunctions and eventually get a bill passed allowing Indiana chiropractors to diagnose and thereby practice.
As a hometown chiropractor which he loved especially hearing stories of families, farms and cows, jokes, and more, he was the second generation of today’s Cox® Chiropractic Medicine joining/following his step-father, John C Rodman DC DO and being followed by his son, James M. Cox II DC LAc, whose wife, Karen Cox Pharm.D., IFMCP, BC-ADM, CDCES, focuses her practice on functional medicine. Through the years, he welcomed and was honored to have associates/residents join him: Joe Nussbaum DC, Kathleen Fromelt DC, Donald Aspegren DC, and Lee Hazen DC.
As a student, he graduated from South Side High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, completed pre-chiropractic studies at Purdue University, attained a B.A. from Lewis University Chicago, achieved his doctor of chiropractic from the National College of Chiropractic, and furthered his education by completing his Diplomate in the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology. The chiropractic profession honored him many times in his career, notably the FICC (fellow of the International College of Chiropractors), the DIANM(H) (honorary Diplomate of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine), and the HonDLitt (Honorary Doctor of Letters) from the National University of Health Sciences. To him, education and learning every day were vital. He woke up every day to his PubMed search of the past day’s new spine pain published papers. One of his favorite quotes: “If it isn’t published, it didn’t happen.” And one of his favorite books that he shared with his own kids (even as young as 6 or 8 years old!) was Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” He emphasized that one thing no one can take away is one’s educated mind.
As a human, he was passionate about supporting families and children and occasionally allowing himself some time to enjoy a few hobbies. He and his friend, Byron Braun, established the Fort Wayne Children’s Foundation for the care and protection of abused children (and George Joachim DC DABCR joined the board). He and his Knights of Columbus helped set up and maintain A Mother’s Hope for unwed, homeless mothers. Through he and his wife’s, Judi’s, family foundation, The J Cox Family Foundation, he supported Vincent Village, Community Harvest Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Vincent de Paul Church, the YWCA Bonnie’s House/Women’s Shelter, Gigi’s Playhouse, St. Joseph Missions, among others. In his spare time, he would enjoy seeing his grandchildren do their various activities, fishing in his pond at his barn or in Winnipeg Canada with his sons/grandsons/friends, woodworking making pens and bowls and cutting boards, mowing his 3 acres with his Kubota tractor, and feeling the love of all the cow pictures and memorabilia everyone gave him who knew his love of them.
As a family man, he was the husband for 62 years of Judith A (Egts) Cox who drew him to her for her faith in God and inspired him to become Catholic, father of Julie Cox-Cid of Fort Wayne, IN, Jill (Keith) Miller of Liberty Township, OH, James M (Karen) Cox II of Fort Wayne, IN, and Jason Cox of Mooresville NC, and grandfather of 8 grandchildren, Alex Harris, Emily Harris, Michael Cid, Evan Cox, Chloe Harris, Morgan Cox, Mac Cox, and Audrey Cox., the son of the late Lloyd Cox and Ruth (Shively) (Cox) (John C) Rodman, and brother of Patty Lou (Cox) Liggett.
For more information on his professional publications, presentations, webinars, textbooks, videos, etc., please visit https://www.coxtechnic.com/doctors/list-of-articles.
March 14, 2025 - Friday 4pm-7pm at Divine Mercy Funeral Home on Lake Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN
March 15, 2025 - Saturday 10a-11am with Mass of Christian Burial at 11am at St. Vincent de Paul Church
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