Chiropractic Care

* The History of Chiropractic
* What is Chiropractic
* Chiropractic Education

The History of Chiropractic

Although the chiropractic profession was not founded until 1895, its roots can be traced back to the beginning of recorded time.  From 2700 to 1500 B.C., the Chinese and Greeks mention spinal manipulation to ease lower back pain in many writings.  The Greek physician Hippocrates published texts that detail the importance of chiropractic care around 400 B.C.  He declared, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases.”  Herodotus, a contemporary of Hippocrates, became famous curing spinal disease through exercise and spinal manipulation.  The philosopher Aristotle was critical of his methods because “he made old men young and thus prolonged their lives too greatly.”

It was in 1895 when Daniel David Palmer manipulated a deaf man’s spine and restored his hearing.  It was not long before other patients found themselves under D.D.’s care for just about any condition including flu, migraines, epilepsy, sciatica, stomach pain, and heart trouble.  Without the use of drugs, fevers broke, pain subsided, infections healed, vision improved, stomach disorders disappeared, and, of course, hearing returned for many of his patients.  He realized that spinal adjustments would correct for misalignment and motion restrictions, thereby improving upon nerve function and strengthening the body.  D.D. coined the term “chiropractic” from the Greek words, chiro, meaning “hand,” and practice, meaning “practice or operation.”   He opened the first chiropractic clinic called the Palmer School and Infirmary of Chiropractic.
It has been a long and difficult road developing chiropractic into what it is today.  Throughout the twentieth century, the medical establishment, fearing health care competition, conspired to destroy chiropractic.  Finally, in 1983, following a decade of litigation with Wilk vs. AMA (American Medical Association), the Seventh Circuit Supreme Court upheld a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Getzendanner that the AMA engaged in a "lengthy, systematic, successful and unlawful boycott" designed to restrict cooperation between MDs and chiropractors in order to eliminate the profession of chiropractic as a competitor in the U.S. health care system.   Since this trial, MDs and DCs are better able to co-manage patients, and with better outcomes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilk_v._American_Medical_Association

There is growing support and respect for the chiropractic profession around the world.  Recent studies reflect the cost effectiveness in those who use chiropractic treatments as the foundation of their health.  In 1993, the Manga study published in Canada investigated the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care.  The results of this study concluded that chiropractic care would save hundreds of millions of dollars annually with regard to work disability payments and direct health care costs.  Numerous studies reflect that those who use chiropractic care have less incidence of disease and better knowledge of health.

Today, doctors of chiropractic are licensed and recognized in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.  Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, and Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Worker’s Compensation, and all state workers’ compensation programs.

“Chiropractic is the largest, most regulated and best recognized of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) professions.  CAM patient surveys show that chiropractors are used more often than any other alternative provider group and patient satisfaction with chiropractic is very high.  There is steadily increasing patient use of chiropractic in the United States, which has tripled in the past two decades.”

-Meeker and Haldeman, Annals of Internal Medicine 2002.

What Is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is the health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and the nervous systems, and the effect of these disorders on general health.  Chiropractic care is used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pinched nerves, joint pain in the arms or legs, and headaches.

Doctors of chiropractic, often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians, practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis, ordering and reading of diagnostic testing and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary, and lifestyle counseling.

The most common therapeutic procedure performed by doctors of chiropractic is known as “spinal manipulation,” also called “chiropractic adjustment.”   The purpose of manipulation is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become restricted in their movement.  Manipulation, or adjustment of the affected joint and tissues, restores mobility, thereby alleviating pain and muscle tightness, and allowing tissues to heal.

Chiropractic adjustment rarely causes discomfort.  However, patients may sometimes experience mild soreness or aching following treatment (as with some forms of exercise) that usually resolves within 12 to 48 hours.

In many cases, such as with lower back pain, chiropractic care may be the primary method of treatment. When other medical conditions exist, chiropractic care may complement or support medical treatment by relieving the musculoskeletal aspects associated with the condition.

Chiropractic Education

Educational requirements for doctors of chiropractic are among the most stringent of any of the health care professions.  Applicant sat a chiropractic college have already acquired four years of pre-medical undergraduate college education, including courses in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, psychology, and related lab work.  Once a student is accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, the requirements become even more demanding with four to five academic years of professional study. Because of the hands-on nature of chiropractic, and the intricate adjusting techniques, a significant portion of time is spent in clinical training.

Like other primary health care doctors, chiropractic students spend a significant portion of their curriculum studying clinical subjects related to evaluating and caring for patients.  Extensive hours are spent studying neurology, spine pathology, and spine biomechanics.  Training in orthopedics and anatomy is combined with training in manipulative techniques to develop an understanding of structural and functional relationships.  In areas such as anatomy, physiology, and rehabilitation, chiropractic students receive more intensive education than medical doctors and physical therapists.
Before entering practice, doctors of chiropractic must pass national board examinations and become state-licensed.  Once in practice, chiropractic physicians diagnose health care problems, treat the problems when in their scope of practice, and refer to other health care practitioners when appropriate.  Chiropractors are considered specialty physicians in Pennsylvania.