Chiropractic care is an alternative form of treatment in which the practitioner, through manipulation therapy, attempts to restore the movement of a joint or resolve painful abnormalities that most frequently stem from spinal distortions.
The manipulation of these spinal abnormalities and their impact on the nervous systems, is intended to improve a range of conditions that cause pain being experienced in different parts of the body.
This form of manipulation therapy has been around since ancient times, but chiropractic practices were officially founded in 1897 by Dr Daniel David Palmer.
Palmer believed at the time believed that diabetes was caused by the nerve pathways of the vertebrae. An assumption that later turned out to be wrong.
Modern chiropractors consider chiropractic care as a holistic form of treatment in line with healing and yoga. More clinical chiropractors deal with the many mechanical disorders of the body’s musculoskeletal system.
There is a big difference between chiropractic care and standards from country to country. American chiropractors are relatively clinical in their operations, and the profession tries to adhere more to evidence-based treatment, although there is no direct evidence to support that chiropractic treatments work.
In South Africa, the vast majority of chiropractors are of the clinical orientation and deal largely with movement disorders.
Several controlled clinical studies of chiropractors have been performed, with conflicting results. Systematic literature reviews of this research have not found evidence that chiropractic manipulation is effective, however, with the possible exception of treatment for back pain there is evidence to support chiropractic care is largely effective.
Consequentially the industry largely stems around conditions such as neck pain relief, lower back pain relief, pinched nerves, posture corrections and pelvic rectification and manipulation. Source Sandton Chiro.