The term "chiropractic" combines the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis (action) to describe a treatment done by hand.

Hands-on therapy, especially adjustment of the spine, is central to chiropractic care. Chiropractic, which in the United States is considered part of complementary and alternative medicine group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.

Chiropractic care is considered a respectable and reliable form of treatment, and therefore is covered by most insurance companies and health care plans. There have also been many independent studies conducted and published over the last 25-30 years which have concluded the validity of the health benefits, reduced recovery periods, and health care savings relating to professional chiropractic care and services.

Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. (CAM), is based on these key concepts:

• 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.

• Therapy aims to normalize this relationship between structure and function and assist the body as it heals.

While some procedures associated with chiropractic care can be traced back to ancient times, the modern profession of chiropractic was founded by Daniel David Palmer in 1895 in Davenport, Iowa.

Palmer, a self-taught healer, believed that the body has a natural healing ability. Misalignments of the spine can interfere with the flow of energy needed to support health, Palmer theorized, and the key to health is to normalize the function of the nervous system, especially the spinal cord.