Chiropractic

Chiropractic is a complementary and alternative health care profession with the purpose of diagnosing and treating mechanical disorders of the spine and musculoskeletal system with the intention of affecting the nervous system and improving health. It is based on the premise that a spinal joint dysfunction can interfere with the nervous system and result in many different conditions of diminished health. Some chiropractors still use the term vertebral subluxation to describe what they treat. Others have dropped this concept and concentrate mostly on the musculoskeletal components of spinal injury and rehabilitation of the spine.

Chiropractic treatments vary depending on the patient's condition and the type of approach taken by the particular chiropractor. They often include spinal adjustments, although other interventions are used as well. In contrast, the term subluxation as used in conventional medicine is usually associated with specific conditions which are a direct consequence of injury to joints or associated nerves. It should be noted, however, that not all chiropractic institutions subscribe to the vertebral subluxation theory; notably schools in Canada, Denmark and the United Kingdom have rejected the subluxation model in favour of an evidence-based framework.

Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by D. D. Palmer, and it is now practiced in more than 100 countries. The history of Chiropractic has been shaped by philosophical conflicts within the profession and by criticism from outside the profession. Eventually, these led to scientific reform within many of the schools of chiropractic, and an antitrust suit against the American Medical Association (AMA).

Today there are four main groups of chiropractors: "traditional straights", "objective straights", "mixers", and "reform". All groups, except reform, treat patients using a subluxation-based system. Differences are based on the philosophy for adjusting, claims made about the effects of those adjustments, and various additional treatments provided along with the adjustment.

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