by April Wilson

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 17, 2009

(Note to publisher: This article includes interview portions as well as non-interview portions. Because of formatting limitations, to make this clear, all interview answers are in quote marks. Anything outside the quotes isn't a part of the interviewee's answer.)

Nearly everyone knows someone with an anecdote of how chiropractic healed them when more traditional channels of treatment such as surgeries and medications failed to bring relief. But how does chiropractic work exactly? I spoke with Dr. Keith Mills of Mills Chiropractic Clinics in Chattanooga, Tennessee for some answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions about chiropractic treatment.

In basic terms, how does chiropractic work? A lot of people are familiar with chiropractors but don't seem to be clear on what chiropractic actually does for them.

Keith Mills, DC: "We locate joints that are not moving properly (fixated) and causing inflammation, pain, or nerve root compression. As we restore motion (adjust), the pain, spasming, and nerve dysfunction start to heal."

How does a chiropractor know what bones need to be moved and where?

Keith Mills, DC: "First we learn what normal is, accomplished through years of schooling, so abnormal can readily be recognized. Once abnormal is identified through numerous diagnostic tools like palpation, x-ray, and orthopedic testing, the bone or joint is manually "adjusted" toward normal."

An article on Spineuniverse.com by Doctor Arn Strasser, DC of Strasser Chiropractic Center in Portland, Oregon explains palpation:

"Palpation is the process of examining by means of touch. The art of spinal palpation is the first procedure a chiropractor learns in school. It is an art the chiropractor continues to perfect throughout his or her career. Palpation is not the only way a chiropractor determines where and how to adjust or manipulate the spine. It is however, the chiropractor's central diagnostic technique."

Could you expand on what the training is for someone considering becoming a chiropractor?

Keith Mills, DC: "Undergraduate school comes first, then sixteen quarters of chiropractic college. This includes a combination of basic sciences where the courses are directly associated with the clinical/practical side. It's very similar to dental school. They specialize in teeth; we specialize in spine."

There is a lot of skepticism going around about chiropractic and it's safety and effectiveness. How does a patient know if they're going to someone safe and effective

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