Chiropractic Care

What is Chiropractic?

According to the American Chiropractic Association, “Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on the spine and other joints of the body, their connection to the nervous system, and overall patient health. Doctors of Chiropractic are primary care doctors who specialize in spinal health and well-being, maximizing patient function through conservative care.

According to the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, A Chiropractor:

•  Uses objective or subjective means to diagnose, analyze, examine, or evaluate the biomechanical condition of the spine and musculoskeletal system of the human body.
• Performs nonsurgical, nonincisive procedures, including adjustment and manipulation, to improve the subluxation complex or the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system.

How well educated are chiropractors?

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 DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools.

Chiropractors are designated as physician-level providers in the vast majority of states and federal Medicare programs. The essential services provided by chiropractors are also available in federal health delivery systems, including those administered by Medicaid, the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Federal Workers’ Compensation, and all state workers’ compensation programs.

Is Chiropractic care common and safe?

It is estimated that chiropractors treat more than 35 million Americans (adults and children) annually.

Three in four people who saw a chiropractor in the last year (77%) described chiropractic care as “very effective.”

In a consumer survey, chiropractic outperformed all other back pain treatments, including prescription medication, deep-tissue massage, yoga, Pilates, and over-the-counter medication therapies.

Chiropractors are the highest-rated healthcare practitioner for low-back pain treatments

In 2015, the Joint Commission, the organization that accredits more than 20,000 health care systems in the U.S. (including every major hospital), recognized the value of non-drug approaches by adding chiropractic to its pain management standard.

Conditions Evaluated

• Headaches
• Neck Pain
• Back pain
• Shoulder injuries
• Tennis Elbow
• Golf elbow
• Hand and wrist pain
• Low back pain and strains
• Hip pain
• Knee pain
• Ankle pain
• Sports Injuries
• Pregnancy

FAQ: 

How many chiropractors are there in the US?

There are more than 70,000 chiropractors in the United States who are required to pass a series of four national board exams and be state licensed. Roughly another 3,000 chiropractors work in academic and management roles.

How many chiropractic colleges are there in the US?

There are approximately 18 nationally accredited, chiropractic doctoral graduate education programs across the United States with 2,500 chiropractors entering the workforce every year.