What is chiropractic?
Chiropractic is an art, science and philosophy that works on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. It is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of these systems and how they affect your general health. Some of those disorders include, but are not limited to: back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.1 Rev. Samel Weed was the person who coined the word "chiropractic" from Greek root meaning to be done by hand.
Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel David (D.D.) Palmer, who delivered a chiropractic adjustment to a partially deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard. Harvey was able to hear a little better after this adjustment and prompted D.D to do further studies. This experience also led Palmer to open a school of chiropractic two years later. Palmer described the body as a “machine” whose parts could be manipulated to produce a cure to common ailments without drugs. He stated that the use of spinal manipulation on joint dysfunction/subluxation improved health. He described the effects of chiropractic spinal manipulation as being mediated primarily by the nervous system.2
Chiropractors go through similar rigorous training and schooling like other medical professionals. Chiropractors are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship, with the average Chiropractic program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools.1 After chiropractic school, doctors are required to pass 4 (or 5- state depending) National Board Exams and be state licensed in any state they plan on practicing in.
Doctors of chiropractic (DC) practice a conservative approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. The essential services provided by chiropractors represent a primary approach for the prevention, diagnosis and conservative management of back pain and spinal disorders that can often enable patients to reduce or avoid the need for riskier treatments, such as prescription opioid pain medications and surgery. Chiropractors are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, lifestyle and dietary counseling.1 All Chiropractors practice different adjustment styles as well as treatment approaches, so please, find the best fit for you!
https://www.acatoday.org/News-Publications/Newsroom/Key-Facts
https://chiro.org/Plus/History/Persons/PalmerDD/PalmerDD's-Lifeline-chrono.pdf