Chiropractic, a Profession or a Service?

This being my first blog, I wanted to touch on a subject that I felt strongly about. Something that struck enough of a dissonant chord with me, that I could effectively convey some semblance of feeling to you, the reader. After all, I'd hate for my first blog to be your last blog due to boredom.

One problem I have had with the the public and my future profession is the usage of the term chiropractic. I cringe when I read a journal article that differentiates treatment modalities and they mention heat, ice, physical therapy and chiropractic. Or when a news article or even worse, another chiropractor, speaks of how chiropractic care works and then fades into a cervical manipulation. Now my years are few and my experience is limited to the 7 chiropractors in my family and the conversations we have all had over the years; however, i always thought that chiropractic is profession and not a treatment. Manipulation is not what makes us special, it is our understanding of functional pathologies and how to treat them quickly and effectively.

I could probably look past this nuance if it weren't for the fact that, if a study is looking at the effectiveness of chiropractic care and it is limiting chiropractic care to just the manipulation, it seems to me you are not really looking at the effectiveness of chiropractic. Rather, you are looking at the effectiveness of one aspect of chiropractic in relation to other treatment options.

Do chiropractors not use heat? Do they not utilize the same manual therapy techniques that fall under the title of physical therapy or rehabilitation? The answer is yes. Words matter and for that reason they should be used carefully. It should be taught that even if the manipulation has less effectiveness in relation to low back exercises for a particular case (purely being hypothetical right now), the chiropractic profession utilizes both tools in their toolbox. Therefore, when the public has to choose which health care professional to pursue for a given complaint, they should know that chiropractic is not a place to get your back "cracked."

Chiropractic is physical medicine. My reality is that life is movement and that bodies that move well, live well. Our job is to use the best evidence provided and our clinical judgment to restore movement and improve a quality of life. Whether this means manipulation, physical therapy, manual therapy techniques or any of the other treatment options, the point is chiropractic the profession provides all of these services.

Thank you for reading my first blog. I hope that you follow me from time to time. I promise to share openly and freely.

- John Giacalone Jr