What is Chiropractic?
Spinal manipulation has been practiced in one form or another for most of recorded history. Both Hippocrates and Galen experimented with musculoskeletal adjustment. With the fall of the Roman Empire, and the destruction of most scholarly writings, much of what had been learned was lost. It wasn't till the late nineteenth century, here in the United States, that serious experimentation in this area began in earnest.

In September 1895, a teacher and magnetic healer named Daniel David Palmer was examining a patient named Henry Lillard. The man had been injured at his job and complained of back pain and hearing loss. Palmer discovered that one of the man's vertebra was "racked from its normal position". Using a leverage technique, Palmer managed to realign Lillard's spine. This first modern spinal adjustment not only relieved the man's back pain, but over the course of several such treatments, restored his hearing as well. Chiropractic had been born.

From these humble beginnings, Chiropractic has become the fastest growing of all health care professions. There are approximately 60,000 Doctors of Chiropractic  practicing in the United States as of this writing. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in accredited Chiropractic education programs.

A Chiropractors training consists of extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited institution. A comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body enables the D.C. to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine, and if necessary, determine whether referral to an M.D. is indicated.

The central nervous system is the primary control mechanism of the body's many systems. Chiropractic focuses on the role played by the spine in dispersing nerve signals throughout the body.

The spine performs two indispensable functions. As the body's central skeletal feature, it allows for flexibility and freedom of motion. It also serves to house and protect the spinal column. When the vertebrae that compose the spine become misaligned, both of these crucial functions are compromised. Chiropractors use the term, 'subluxation' to describe such disruptions.

The term subluxation is derived from two latin words: luxate (to dislocate), and sub (somewhat or slightly). Therefore the term refers to a slight dislocation of the spinal vertebrae. Such a condition may cause irritation to nerves which branch off from the spinal column between vertebrae. This irritation can cause pain and dysfunction in the muscles as well as more far-reaching interference with the normal functioning of the systems of the body.

Subluxations can be caused by a fall or other injury, or may be a chronic condition brought on by improper posture or sleeping position, obesity, occupational hazards, incorrect lifting practices, lack of exercise, and stress.

Doctors of Chiropractic are specialists in musculoskeletal conditions and are trained to restore misaligned vertebrae to their proper positions. This is the 'spinal adjustment' and does not in itself heal the patients body. Returning the spine to its proper functional alignment however, restores balance to the body and enables it to heal itself.

Chiropractors are licensed in all fifty states and are considered primary health care providers. The services they provide are covered by most insurance plans.