Chiropractors are practitioners of manual medicine, which is
the use of hands to diagnose and treat patients. Although chiropractic dates
back to at least 1895, it has only been in the last five decades that it has
become established as a profession and commonly available in various countries
around the world. Chiropractor's main treatment interventions include manual
manipulation (adjustment or mobilization), joint or muscle manipulations,
stretching exercises, traction procedures, electrotherapy, exercise therapy and
other modalities.
Despite its relatively short time in existence as a
recognized profession; chiropractic presently provides care for approximately
18 million Americans per year. While chiropractic care is not offered by all
physicians, most primary care physicians in the United States offer some form
of manual therapy, either as a treatment option or as a complementary one.
Chiropractors treat approximately 181 million people worldwide, not including
the approximately 31 million people who seek minor adjustments each year in
Europe.
Chiropractic has been
described as a "small but growing" profession as seen from a
statistical viewpoint because of an increase in enrollment levels from 1980 to
2010. The profession is defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as
"a method of treating the human frame based on the maintenance and
restoration of the normal and healthy action of the body's musculoskeletal
system and its effect upon other body systems."
Chiropractors adjust patients manually. This involves
applying force through a patient's body to manipulate the spine. Most
manipulation is manual thrust technique, although a large number of other
techniques including mechanical force, such as passive soft tissue mobilization
(PSMT), are also used by some chiropractors. Chiropractors believe that this
manipulation restores joint mobility by removing interference caused by tissue
adhesions, improving blood supply, or increasing nerve supply to muscles.
If a patient's condition does not improve due to
chiropractic care, it is common for a chiropractor to refer them to another
health care professional such as a physician or another type of medical
specialist. Chiropractic may be applicable as an adjunctive treatment in areas
where it is not fully accepted by other methods of treatment. Recently, the Knoxville
Chiropractic Association has emphasized the use of evidence-based research and
clinical application to benefit patients. Read
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