1. 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
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