Focusing on the vital relationship between the nervous system and your health, chiropractic restores health and well being by removing spinal nerve interference known as vertebral subluxation. Without the use of drugs or surgery, chiropractic takes a structural, nutritional and emotional approach to healthcare and aims to restore the natural and delicate balance that exists in all healthy individuals. This is done most commonly to help treat various problems involving bones, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. Generally, a chiropractor manually applies a controlled force to the problem area, alleviating inflammation, reduced mobility or pain. Chiropractors are also trained to give advice on lifestyle and dietary changes.

Modern chiropractic began in 1895, when its founder reportedly restored hearing to a man who had been deaf for 17 years by adjusting his misaligned vertebrae. Since then, chiropractic patients have included everyone from healthy babies to people with chronic injuries. The practice is most commonly used to alleviate headaches, migraines, lower-back pain, ear infections, whiplash, neck pain, bed-wetting, muscle weakness and chronic fatigue. Although often aimed at a specific problem, chiropractic provides a 400 percent increase in resistance to sickness for those under regular care. This is achieved by removing blockages in the spine that prevent the body from staying well.

In 1994, the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recommended chiropractic manipulation as a safe initial form of treatment for acute lower back pain in adults, and urged most patients to try conservative treatments like chiropractic before opting for more aggressive measures, such as drugs and surgery.

Common Types of Chiropractors

Straight
Straight chiropractors adhere to purist principles that endorse healing solely by treating subluxations (nerve pinching caused by misalignment of the vertebrae). The mantra by which they operate is that "only the body can heal the body." In improving the alignment of the vertebrae, straight chiropractors believe that they are clearing the way for nerve impulse responses, thereby increasing the means of communication between the brain and the rest of the body, which allows for self-healing. Representing the minority among chiropractors, straight chiropractors tend to be members of the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA).

Mixers
Mixers integrate physical therapy, diet and nutrition into the more traditional subluxation techniques to restore patients to health. Specific methods mixing chiropractors might use would be ultrasound, electrotherapy and rehabilitation. The mixers are divided into subgroups of conservatives and liberals. Many mixers are members of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA).

Reform
Reform chiropractors advocate using chiropractic techniques only for musculoskeletal disorders. These practitioners tend to be more ingrained in mainstream medicine.

Common Treatment Techniques

Chiropractors use hundreds of different techniques, depending on the personal attributes of a patient. Some common techniques include:

Diversified Adjusting
Diversified adjusting is the classic chiropractic technique that makes a popping sound as the adjustment is made. It focuses on restoration to normal biomechanical function and is beneficial in treating sports injuries, for example.

Cox Flexion Distraction
Cox flexion distraction stretches the spine to remove compression from the nerves, and then flexes it to painlessly resolve lower back pain caused by joint and disc problems.

Trigger Point Therapy
Trigger point therapy involves direct pressure to and stretching of the affected musculature. The technique affects the body by eliminating the accumulation of waste in the muscle, allowing for restoration of normal muscle tone and flexibility.

The Gonstead Technique
The Gonstead technique is one of the safest systems of evaluating and caring for conditions related to the spine. The technique adjusts the neck of the seated patient with the use of a specific maneuver.

Applied Kinesiology
Applied kinesiology holds that internal problems, like weak organs, can be identified by testing muscle vitality. A chiropractor specializing in this area will manually test muscles, most commonly by pressing them and testing resistance. After extensive testing and questioning of the patient, the doctor will then diagnose the malady and prescribe a regime drawing from various therapies and disciplines.

Sacro-Occipital Technique
The sacro-occipital technique addresses muscle tension at the pelvis, which affects the neck. Padded blocks are placed under the pelvic area, allowing the body to readjust itself.

Orthotics
These are custom-made devices placed in shoes to treat bad posture caused by uneven leg length, spinal curvature or a tilted pelvis.

Acupressure
Acupressure is similar to acupuncture in that it abides by the laws of chi, or energy. There are specific meridians or channels of energy within the body, and pressure along these points relieves pain and disease. Because the meridians are reliant upon the brain, spinal cord and nervous system, energy blockage can result in various disorders. If patients do not make progress with chiropractic, the chiropractor may recommend acupuncture or acupressure.

Nutritional Counseling
Many chiropractors prescribe herbal and vitamin supplements to correct various deficiencies.

Credentials

Although most students enter chiropractic programs with a Bachelor's degree, the minimum requirement set forth by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) for such a program is 90 semester hours. These hours generally include class requirements in life sciences and humanities.

To receive the title of Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.), a chiropractic program requires a minimum of 4,200 hours of combined laboratory, classroom and clinical experience. To graduate from a chiropractic program, students must have completed five years of schooling and passed four national board exams. Many colleges also offer the option to continue by obtaining postdoctoral training, which, after passage of the appropriate exam, means specialty in a given area, including orthopedics, neurology and radiology.

To maintain licensure, almost all states require completion each year of a specified number of hours of continuing-education classes, which are offered by accredited chiropractic programs and institutions.

Last Reviewed: May 02, 2006
Last Reviewed By: Layla Merritt and Katie Gilbert