The philosophy of the wellness care movement is the belief that the body has the natural ability to heal itself.
Chiropractic practitioners use the wellness philosophy as their foundation to treat general health issues believing that our body structure affects our overall functioning.
Chiropractic care is based on the belief that the relationship between the body’s structure (primarily that of the spine) and its function (as coordinated by the nervous system) affects our health.
Chiropractors focus on the intimate relationship between the nervous system and spine
Biomechanical and structural derangement of the spine can affect the nervous system. For many conditions, chiropractic treatment can restore the structural integrity
of the spine, reduce pressure on the sensitive neurological tissue, and consequently improve the health of the individual.
The term “chiropractic” combines the Greek words “cheir” (hand) and “praxis” (practice) to describe a treatment done by hand. Hands-on therapy—especially adjustment of the spine—is central to chiropractic care. Spinal adjustment/manipulation is a core treatment in chiropractic care, but it is not synonymous with chiropractic. Chiropractors commonly use other treatments in addition to spinal manipulation, and other health care providers (e.g., physical therapists or some osteopathic physicians) may use spinal manipulation.
Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
Many people who seek chiropractic care have low-back pain. People also commonly seek chiropractic care for other kinds of musculoskeletal pain (e.g., neck, shoulder), headaches, and extremity (e.g., hand or foot) problems.
An analysis of the use of complementary health approaches for back pain, based on data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), found that chiropractic was by far the most commonly used therapy. Among survey respondents who had used any of these therapies for their back pain, 74 percent (approximately four million Americans) had used chiropractic. Among those who had used chiropractic for back pain, 66 percent perceived “great benefit” from their treatments