Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession. Chiropractors perform adjustments (manipulations) to the spine or other parts of the body. The goal is to correct alignment problems, ease pain, and support the body's natural ability to heal itself. They may also use other treatments including :
- Heat and ice
- Electrical stimulation
- Relaxation techniques
- Rehabilitative and general exercise
- Counseling about diet, weight loss, and other lifestyle factors
- Dietary supplements
Many people visit chiropractors for treatment of low back pain, neck pain, and headaches.
It sits within Complementary and Alternative Therapies.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Chiropractic
193 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Comparison of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy in Chronic Neck PainIstanbul Rumeli University
- Improving Access to Chiropractic Care in Community Health CentersBoston Medical Center
- Chiropractic Care for Chronic Neck Pain: A Pilot StudyBrigham and Women's Hospital
- Chiropractic Care for Episodic MigraineBrigham and Women's Hospital
- Squat Jump Performance and Chiropractic Ankle ManipulationNortheast College of Health Sciences
- The Effects of Chiropractic Care on Inflammation and Quality of Life in People Living With HIVTyson Perez, DC, PhD
Research already completed
- Effects of Chiropractic Care on Cytokine Levels in Multiple SclerosisUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham
- Caracteristics of Pediatric Spinal MobilizationsUniversité du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Approaches to Chiropractic Care in Aging PatientsUniversité du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- The Effects of Chiropractic in a Population With High Central AdiposityLife University
- Assessing Pain, Patient Reported Outcomes and Complementary and Integrative HealthVA Office of Research and Development
- Spinal Pain and Autonomic Responses to Chiropractic CareKarolinska Institutet
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Chiropractic AdjustmentMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Chiropractic: In DepthNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- What Is Chiropractic?American Chiropractic Association
Related Issues
- 6 Things to Know When Selecting a Complementary Health PractitionerNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- ChiropractorsBureau of Labor Statistics
- Credentialing, Licensing, and EducationNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
- Frequently Asked Questions about ChiropracticAmerican Chiropractic Association
Statistics and Research
- American Adults' and Children's Use of Yoga, Mediation, and Chiropractors: National Health Interview Survey 2017National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Chiropractic TherapyNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Chiropractic, Manipulation, Chiropractic. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Chiropractic, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.