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 More...