Dating back to ancient China and Greece, chiropractic care focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and how these dysfunctions impact overall wellbeing. Chiropractic doctors provide drug-free, hands-on approaches to patient care, which usually includes examination, diagnosis, and treatment. Many chiropractors offer nutritional and lifestyle counseling as well.

The philosophy of chiropractic care is based on three main principles:
• The body can heal itself.
• The structure of the body, specifically the spine, and its function work together, and that relationship impacts total wellness.
• Therapy will help stabilize the relationship between structure and function, which facilitates the body’s ability to heal itself.

Chiropractic treatment can often addresses back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches, among others. The most common procedure performed by chiropractors is a spinal manipulation, or called chiropractic adjustment. With an adjustment, the chiropractor can restore joint mobility by applying a controlled force into joints that have become restricted because of a tissue injury. When the tissue is injured, either from a single event or from repetitive stress, the injured tissues undergo physical and chemical changes that result in decreased function, inflammation, and discomfort. After the spinal manipulation, mobility is restored, alleviating the tightness and allowing the affected area to heal.

To practice as a chiropractor, you must earn a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from a college accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). The training program takes four years and involves both classroom and hands-on learning experiences. Typically, the curriculum includes biomedical science instruction, as well as studies about public health and research methods. Licensing procedures include board exams and mock patient encounters. Most states also require yearly continuing education courses to keep a chiropractic license current.