What is chiropractic?

 The profession

Chiropractic is grounded in the principle that the body can heal itself when the skeletal system is correctly aligned and the nervous system is functioning properly. To achieve this, the practitioner uses his/her hands or an adjusting tool to perform specific manipulations of the vertebrae. When these bones of the spine are not correctly articulated, resulting in a condition known as subluxation, the research found that nerve transmission is disrupted and causes pain in the back, as well as other areas of the body.

Purpose

Most people will experience back pain at some time in their lives. Injuries due to overexertion and poor posture are among the most common. Chiropractic treatment carries none of the risks of surgical or pharmacologic treatment. The goal is not merely to relieve the present ailment, but to analyze the cause and recommend appropriate changes of lifestyle to prevent the problem from occurring again.

Chiropractic in Europe

In Europe, chiropractic is recognised in many countries like Belgium, Danemark, Finland, France, UK, Island, Italie, Liechtenstein, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. Chiropractic is well developed in the Great Britain where the first European College of Chiropractic was established in 1965. In Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries, it is fully integrated into health systems.

Did You Know?

Depictions and writings of spinal manipulative therapy can be traced back to ancient cultures.

• Around 400 B.C., Hippocrates, the father of Greek medicine, used manual treatments to treat spinal conditions.

• Buddhist temples dating back over 2000 years contain depictions of lumbar spine manipulation.

• Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, spinal manipulation was commonly associated with “bone-setters,” tradesmen and women who learned the craft through family apprenticeship.