chiropractic

American  

[kahy-ruh-prak-tik] / ˌkaɪ rəˈpræk tɪk /

noun

1. a therapeutic system based primarily upon the interactions of the spine and nervous system, the method of treatment usually being to adjust the segments of the spinal column.

2. a chiropractor.

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chiropractic British  

/ ˌkaɪrəˈpræktɪk /

noun

1. a system of treating bodily disorders by manipulation of the spine and other parts, based on the belief that the cause is the abnormal functioning of a nerve

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chiropractic Cultural  

1. A system of treating disease and musculoskeletal disorders that involves manipulation of the backbone and other body parts. In chiropractic, disorders of the nerves are considered the cause of illness.

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Other Word Forms

• chiropractor
  noun

Etymology

Origin of chiropractic

1895–1900, chiro- + -practic < Greek praktikós; see practical

Example Sentences

Later, when he was deciding whether to go to graduate school, a tour guide at Life Chiropractic College West in California encouraged him to take out loans to finance his degree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

Chiropractic Jerome Poupel, a Frenchman based in London, provides another voice in Raducanu's new-look team - as well as a quirky back story.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2025

Richard Brown, the secretary general of the World Federation of Chiropractic, a not-for-profit organization that serves as the international voice of the chiropractic profession, said the group had concerns about the social media videos.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024

The cause of death was not immediately known but was most likely starvation, said Doug Gillard, a professor of anatomy and physiology at Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2023

I used every Patent Medicine I could hear of, besides Osteopathy and Chiropractic, and innumerable prescriptions from physicians, and received no 46 benefit at all.

From The Goat-gland Transplantation As Originated and Successfully Performed by J. R. Brinkley, M. D., of Milford, Kansas, U. S. A., in Over 600 Operations Upon Men and Women by Flower, Sydney Blanshard