The new chiropractic
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COMMENTARY
Open Access
The new chiropractic Bruce F. Walker
Abstract Background: Physical manipulation and manual therapies are thousands of years old. The most popular western world iteration of these therapies is delivered by chiropractors. It can be argued that the collective public health benefit from chiropractic for spinal pain has been very substantial, however as chiropractic has transitioned from craft to profession it has encountered many internally and externally driven machinations that have retarded its progress to a fully accepted allied health profession. This article sets out a ten point plan for a new chiropractic that will achieve full acceptance for this troubled profession. Discussion: This article is based on a keynote speech known as the FG Roberts Memorial Address delivered on October 10, 2015, in Melbourne, Australia at the Chiropractic & Osteopathic College of Australasia and Chiropractic Australia national conference. The ten point plan consists of the following: improving the pre-professional education of chiropractors, establishing a progressive identity, developing a special interest for the profession, marginalising the nonsensical elements of the profession, being pro-public health, supporting the legitimate organised elements of the profession, improving clinical practice, embracing evidence based practice, supporting research and showing personal leadership. Conclusion: Adherence to this fresh ten point plan will, over time, see the chiropractic profession gain full legitimacy in the allied health field and acceptance by other health providers, policy makers and the public at large. Keywords: Chiropractic, Legitimacy, Evidence based practice, The new chiropractic
Background Manual therapies including manipulation have been used for centuries, indeed even thousands of years [1]. Many cultures have practitioners that administer these manual therapies for musculoskeletal pain and they can be variously classed as traditional healers including bone setters in England, Kung Fu masters in Asia, and more lately osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists in the western world [1, 2]. Traditionally these manual therapies were taught father to son, mother to daughter, or master to apprentice and in some cultures this still occurs [1–3]. Although this article concentrates on chiropractic, much of what is discussed has implications for other manual therapy professions. The “good” and the “bad”
Chiropractic is 120 years old and in that time has progressed from a full alternative medicine concept to be part of complementary medicine and in some Correspondence: [email protected] Discipline of Chiropractic, School of Health Professions, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
jurisdictions it has primary care status. Some argue that historically chiropractic has elements that are consistent with religion [4]. Regardless, what can be said is that the profession’s history, conduct and overall contribution is chequered by “good” and by “bad”. The “good” can be
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