Medical procedures were valid, chiropractor testifies

AMERICAN FORK — After the judge threw out an early morning motion to decide the case from the bench, an American Fork chiropractor took the stand in his own case and testified about the medical validity of his procedures.

Grant Hildreth, 45, testified Wednesday in American Fork's 4th District Court, where he's charged with six felonies of forcible sex abuse for allegedly touching female patients in a sexual manner at his Alpha Life Chiropractic in American Fork — charges he vehemently denies.

"Did you, in fact, assault these women?" Hildreth's attorney, Carolyn Howard asked him Wednesday.

"I never assaulted these women," Hildreth said immediately. "If I did, I wouldn't be here, I would be taking the plea deal, not sitting here defending myself."

"Did you intend to sexually arouse these women?"

"Not whatsoever," Hildreth said.

Using his wife as a "patient," Hildreth explained the various adjustments, including an anterior rib adjustment — a treatment one victim complained about after the first allegations surfaced.

He wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, and showed the jury how he would insert his thumb between the ribs.

The patient would then lean back into him, and gravity and his hands would help pop the rib back into place with less trauma than adjusting in a supine position, he said. Sometimes he would do this over the clothes, but to be most effective, he said he would slip one hand under the robe.

"As far as doing the adjustment, skin on skin, that's the best way, that's what they've taught us in chiropractic school, the best way to adjust without slippage, causing the least amount of pain or trauma while adjusting them."

He freely admitted that he may have brushed by one of the victim's breasts, which is nearly unavoidable working in that area.

"I always explain to my patient what I'm going to do," he said. "If you're uncomfortable about what I do, let me know, there's other ways to do it."

At one point in his testimony, Hildreth explained to the jury that his license had been revoked in Idaho because of a concern over how he represented a previous criminal conviction on a licensing application.

Attorneys talked with Judge David Mortensen in chambers and argued for several minutes about what questions could be asked regarding a previous felony conviction for sex abuse in Montana in the early 1990s.