Tired of nagging back pain or tension headaches that just won’t quit? You’ve probably heard of chiropractic care — but what is it really, and should you give it a go? From its curious origins to what modern science says today, here’s what you need to know before you book that appointment.
WORDS ZOEY QUAH EE SAN
 FEATURED EXPERTZOEY QUAH EE SAN Chiropractor Excellence Chiropractics |
IT STARTED WITH A POP
In 1895, a man named DD Palmer observed a bulge in the neck of his janitor, Lillard.
He asked Lillard what happened, and Lillard replied that one day, he moved the wrong way and heard a ‘pop’ in his back.
Subsquently, Lillard started to lose some of his hearing.
Palmer had Lillard lay face down and proceeded to ‘adjust’ the spinal misalignment back into place.
The next day, Lillard told Palmer, “I can even hear that racket on the street!”
This experience led Palmer to open a school of chiropractic 2 years later, known today as the Palmer College of Chiropractic.
CHIROPRACTIC TODAY
The word ‘chiropractic’ is derived from Greek, which means ‘done by hand’.
World Health Organization (WHO)
As defined by the 2005 WHO guidelines on chiropractic regulation, chiropractic is a healthcare 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.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, it is classified under the Malaysian Traditional and Complementary Medicine Division, which was formed in 2004 by the Ministry of Health.
The Association of Chiropractic Malaysia (ACM) is the professional governing body for chiropractors.
WHAT A CHIROPRACTOR CAN DO FOR YOU
The role of a chiropractor is to find and correct any spinal or joint misalignments.
- A misalignment between two joints can cause inflammatory processes, which in turn can lead to swelling and pain in the affected joints.
- For example, a swelling between two misaligned spinal segments can cause nerve irritation if the misalignment is not corrected. In the long run, there will be symptoms such as pain, loss of normal ranges of motion and surrounding muscle tightness at the affected area.
- Chiropractors most commonly adjust areas that are out of alignment, by using their hands to apply a high velocity, low amplitude thrust that may cause an audible ‘pop’.
- This action helps to put the joint back in its original position.
- This action helps to restore normal joint movement and may reduce nerve irritation, helping to alleviate pain and improve mobility.
| Joint misalignments are not the same as joint dislocations. A joint dislocation occurs when a bone is completely separated from its joint. This painful condition requires more advanced treatments, including possible surgery, which are not typically provided by a chiropractor. |
| This article is part of our series on traditional and complementary medicine. |
Reference: World Health Organization. (2005). WHO guidelines on basic training and safety in chiropractic. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43352
