Dr. Barry Shapiro D.C.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a form of health care that focuses on the relationship between the body's structure, primarily of the spine, and nervous system.

Chiropractic is most often used to treat musculoskeletal conditions, such as:

• Low Back Pain
• Neck Pain/Whiplash
• Headaches
• Repetative Strain Injuries (i.e carpal tunnel, tennis elbow)

The word "chiropractic" combines the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (action) and means "done by hand." Chiropractic is an alternative medical system and takes a different approach from conventional medicine in diagnosing, classifying, and treating medical problems.

Doctors of chiropractic, who are also called chiropractors or chiropractic physicians, use a type of hands-on therapy called manipulation (or adjustment) as their core clinical procedure. Manipulation is passive joint movement beyond the normal range of motion. The term adjustment is preferred in chiropractic.

The basic concepts of chiropractic can be described as:

• the body has a powerful self-healing ability
• the body's structure (primarily that of the spine) and its function are closely related, and this relationship affects health
• chiropractic therapy is given with the goals of normalizing this relationship between structure and function and assisting the body as it heals