Alternative Medicine Health Care

Chiropractic is a complementary and alternative medicine health care profession.  The approach to healing is mainly concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. 

Chiropractors focus on manual therapy, including joint adjustment and manipulation, with particular focus on joint dysfunction/subluxations. Chiropractors practice in over 100 countries in all regions of the world; most prevalent in North America, Australia and parts of Europe. 

Most people who seek chiropractic care do so for low back pain. Spinal manipulation, which chiropractors call "spinal adjustment" or "chiropractic adjustment", is the most common treatment used in chiropractic care.

Spinal manipulation is a passive manual manoeuvre during which a three-joint complex is taken past the normal range of movement, but not so far as to dislocate or damage the joint. Its defining factor is a dynamic thrust, which is a sudden force that causes an audible release and attempts to increase a joint's range of motion.

There are several schools of chiropractic adjuster techniques, although most chiropractors mix techniques from several schools. The following are some examples of adjuster procedures received by patients:

•       Diversified technique (full-spine manipulation, employing various techniques), extremity adjusting, 
•       Activator technique (which uses a spring-loaded tool to deliver precise adjustments to the spine),
•       Thompson Technique (which relies on a drop table and detailed procedural protocols), 
•       Gonstead (which emphasizes evaluating the spine along with specific adjustment that avoids rotational vectors),
•       Cox/flexion-distraction (a gentle, low-force adjusting procedure which mixes chiropractic with osteopathic principles and utilizes specialized adjusting tables with movable parts), adjustive instrument,
•       Sacro-Occipital Technique (which models the spine as a torsion bar), 
•       Nimmo Receptor-Tonus Technique, Applied Kinesiology (which emphasises "muscle testing" as a diagnostic tool),

Many other procedures are used by chiropractors for treating the spine, other joints and tissues, and general health issues. The following are examples of procedures used on patients:

•       Diversified technique (full-spine manipulation; mentioned previously), 
•       physical fitness/exercise promotion, corrective or therapeutic exercise, 
•       ergonomic/postural advice, 
•       self-care strategies, 
•       activities of daily living, changing risky/unhealthy behaviors, 
•       nutritional/dietary recommendations, 
•       relaxation/stress reduction recommendations, 
•       ice pack/cryotherapy, extremity adjusting (also mentioned in previous paragraph),
•       trigger point therapy,
•       disease prevention/early screening advice.

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