According to the UK General Chiropractic Council, chiropractic is 'a health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health'.
Chiropractors (practitioners of chiropractic) use their hands to treat disorders of the bones, muscles and joints. This often involves manipulation of the spine.
Chiropractic is a complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). This means that chiropractic is different in important ways from treatments that are part of conventional western medicine. Unlike conventional treatments, the use and principles of chiropractic are not always based on scientific evidence.
Theory
Chiropractic was founded in the US in 1895 by a Canadian grocer and magnetic healer called Daniel David Palmer, who had no conventional medical training.
Palmer argued that most human disease is caused by misalignments of the spine that apply pressure on surrounding nerves. He called these misalignments 'subluxations' (a term also used in conventional medicine, where it has a different meaning) and believed that they blocked the flow of a natural energy, or 'life force', through the body. Correcting these subluxations, he argued, could restore the proper flow of energy, and so restore health. Thus, he saw chiropractic spinal manipulation as a treatment for virtually all human conditions.
Uses
Many chiropractors only treat conditions related to the spine, such as lower back or neck pain. Some chiropractors, however, adhere to Palmer's doctrine and use the treatment on a wider range of conditions, including asthma, infant colic, irritable bowel syndrome and many more conditions. See Common uses of chiropractic for more information.
The availability of chiropractic on the NHS is limited. Most chiropractic patients pay for private treatment.
Does it work?
There is some evidence that chiropractic may be as effective as conventional treatments for lower back pain. Conventional treatments for lower back pain include painkillers, exercise and physiotherapy.
There is no good-quality scientific evidence that chiropractic is effective in the treatment of any other condition.
There is also no scientific evidence to support the idea that most illness is caused by misalignment of the spine.
For more information, see Evidence for chiropractic.