Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. These disorders include, but are not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches. Doctors of chiropractic (DCs) practice a conservative approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. DCs have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, lifestyle and dietary counseling.

There are more than 70,000 chiropractors in the United States who are required to pass a series of four national board exams and to become state licensed. Roughly another 3,000 chiropractors work in academic and management roles.

There are approximately 10,000 chiropractic students in 18 nationally accredited chiropractic doctoral graduate education programs across the United States, with 2,500 chiropractors entering the workforce every year. An estimated 40,000 chiropractic assistants (CAs) are in clinical and business management roles for chiropractic practices across the United States. It is estimated that chiropractors treat more than 35 million Americans (adults and children) annually.

Chiropractors are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship, with the average DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools. Chiropractors are designated as physician-level providers in the vast majority of states and the federal Medicare program. The essential services provided by chiropractors are available in federal health delivery systems, including those administered by Medicaid and the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.

Presented as a service to the community by: Union County Chiropractic Clinic, 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, TN (865) 992-7000 www.unioncountychiropractic.com.