What is Chiropractic?

FIND A PHYSICIAN

Get the Facts Acupuncture Q&A Spine Glossary What is Chiropractic? Spine Center Treats Unresolved Back and Neck Pain Measure the Risks What Puts You at Risk When to Call the Doctor Know the Signs Back Pain Neck Pain Neck Disorders Overview Today's Treatments Diagnoses That May Require Surgery Spine Center Services What to Expect from Diagnostic Tests Chiropractic Care Eases the Pain Understanding Spine Surgery Surgical Options For Degenerative Disc Help Yourself Back Pain Relief How the Spine Center Can Help You Save Your Back Osteoporosis and the Spine Problem Diagnosed at the Spine Center Health Updates Obesity Linked to Spine Problems Free Seminars Interactive Feature Doctor Views

What is Chiropractic?

Posted: May 1, 2006

Chiropractic is a form of health care that focuses on the relationship between the body's structure, primarily of the spine, and function. Doctors of chiropractic, who are also called chiropractors or chiropractic physicians, use a type of hands-on therapy called manipulation (or adjustment) as their core clinical procedure.

Key points

Chiropractic is most often used to treat musculoskeletal conditions – problems with the muscles, joints, bones, and connective tissue such as cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.
Research studies of chiropractic treatment for low back pain have been of uneven quality and insufficient to allow firm conclusions. Nonetheless, the overall sense of the data is that for low back pain, chiropractic treatment and conventional medical treatments are about equally helpful. It is harder to draw conclusions about the relative value of chiropractic for other clinical conditions.
The risk of experiencing complications from chiropractic adjustment of the low back appears to be very low. However, the risk appears to be higher for adjustment of the neck.
It is important to inform all of your health care providers about any treatment that you are using or considering, including chiropractic. This will help each provider make sure that all aspects of your health care are working together.

The basic concepts of chiropractic can be described as follows:

The body has a powerful self-healing ability.
The body's structure (primarily that of the spine) and its function are closely related, and this relationship affects health.
Chiropractic therapy is given with the goals of normalizing this relationship between structure and function and assisting the body as it heals.

What kind of training do chiropractors receive?
Chiropractic training is a four-year academic program consisting of both classroom and clinical instruction. At least three years of preparatory college work are required for admission to chiropractic schools. Students who graduate receive the degree of Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) and are eligible to take state licensure board examinations in order to practice. Some schools also offer postgraduate courses, including residency programs in specialized fields.

What do chiropractors do in treating patients?
If you become a chiropractic patient, during your initial visit the chiropractor will take your health history. He will perform a physical examination, with special emphasis on the spine, and possibly other examinations or tests such as X-rays. If he determines that you are an appropriate candidate for chiropractic therapy, he will develop a treatment plan.

When the chiropractor treats you, he may perform one or more adjustments. An adjustment (also called a manipulation treatment) is a manual therapy, or therapy delivered by the hands. Given mainly to the spine, chiropractic adjustments involve applying a controlled, sudden force to a joint. They are done to increase the range and quality of motion in the area being treated. Other health care professionals – including physical therapists, sports medicine doctors, orthopedists, physical medicine specialists, doctors of osteopathic medicine, doctors of naturopathic medicine, and massage therapists – perform various types of manipulation.

Most chiropractors use other treatments in addition to adjustment, such as mobilization, massage, and non-manual treatments.

Examples of non-manual chiropractic treatments:

Heat and ice
Ultrasound
Electrical stimulation
Rehabilitative exercise
Magnetic therapy
Counseling about diet, weight loss, and other lifestyle factors
Dietary supplements
Homeopathy
Acupuncture

Source: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

We Have Answers
Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St.Mary’s can help. Click here.


Receive Information by Mail \| Columbia St. Mary's Locations




Home \| About Medical Moment \| Find a Physician \| Archive \| Calendar \| Clinical Research Studies © Copyright 2002-2010, MedicalMoment.org. All Rights Reserved. Produced & Designed by Journal Interactive, Zizzo Group Advertising + PR and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel advertising department