Chiropractic | HealthInfi

Overview

A chiropractor is a health care professional focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustment and/or manipulation of the spine.

Most chiropractors seek to reduce pain and improve the functionality of patients as well as to educate them on how they can account for their own health via exercise, ergonomics and other therapies to treat back pain.

The term “chiropractic” comes from the Greek language and means “done by hand.” Chiropractic care primarily involves manual manipulation, which restores joint mobility, as a treatment option for musculoskeletal disorders and as a way to improve overall health. The spine is the primary focus, but manipulation can also be effective for other parts of the musculoskeletal system (MSS) such as extremities, including ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders and ribs.

Chiropractors stress the importance of the relationship between the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system in regaining and sustaining health. Doctors of chiropractic—commonly referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians—use adjustments, joint manipulation and other techniques to normalize spinal and neural function, relieve various disorders and promote your body’s natural healing process. Chiropractic treatment involves neither drugs nor surgery, and most chiropractors will advise you to consult with another health care professional if your condition requires a different type of treatment or if comanagement of your condition is appropriate.

Doctors of chiropractic believe in a holistic (“total person”) approach to healing, which typifies the new and changing attitude toward health. It is based on the concept of “maintaining health” versus “treating disease.” Chiropractic philosophy includes:

• recognition that dynamics exist between lifestyle, environment and health
• understanding the cause of illness in order to eliminate it, rather than simply treating symptoms
• recognition of the centrality of the nervous system and its intimate relationship with the capacities of the human body
• use of a patient-centered, hands-on approach focused on influencing function through structure
• focus on early intervention, emphasizing timely diagnosis and treatment of conditions that are wholly functional and reversible

According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, an estimated 8 percent of adults and 3 percent of children received chiropractic care the previous year. This translates to more than 18 million adults and 2 million children. The practice is licensed in every state and the District of Columbia. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 52,600 licensed chiropractors practicing in the United States in 2010. Many other countries also recognize and regulate chiropractic, including Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, Australia, Brazil and Switzerland.

Spinal manipulation has been practiced for thousands of years, and modern chiropractic care is more than a century old. Modern chiropractic was initially established by Daniel David Palmer, who was seeking a way to cure disease without using drugs. Palmer concluded that most disease results from spinal misalignment (a concept that has since been discarded in the light of new evidence) and that many ailments are caused by the vertebrae impinging on spinal nerves. This impingement or blockage, he said at the turn of the 19th century, interferes with natural nerve transmission. He termed this condition “subluxation.” Subluxation, he said, should be treated with manipulations or adjustments to properly align the spine and eliminate the interference, restoring nerve transmission and allowing the body to heal itself. Palmer, however, was open to new scientific findings, something that was unusual at the turn of the 19th century.Read More