Traditional chiropractic assumes that a vertebral subluxation interferes with the body's innate intelligence, a vitalistic notion ridiculed by the scientific and healthcare communities.

The WHO definition of the chiropractic vertebral subluxation is:

In 2001 the World Federation of Chiropractic, representing the national chiropractic associations in 77 countries, adopted this consensus statement which reaffirms belief in the vertebral subluxation.

In May 2010 the General Chiropractic Council, the statutory regulatory body for chiropractors in the United Kingdom, issued guidance for chiropractors stating that the chiropractic vertebral subluxation complex " is an historical concept " and " is not supported by any clinical research evidence that would allow claims to be made that it is the cause of disease or health concerns.

Chiropractic treatment of vertebral subluxation focuses on delivering a chiropractic adjustment which is a high velocity low amplitude ( HVLA ) thrust to the dysfunctional spinal segments to help correct the chiropractic subluxation complex.

Other chiropractic researchers have also questioned some of the claimed effects of vertebral subluxation:

Professor Philip S. Bolton of the School of Biomedical Sciences at University of Newcastle, Australia writes in Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, " The traditional chiropractic vertebral subluxation hypothesis proposes that vertebral misalignment cause illness, disease, or both.

Data source: Information was obtained from chiropractic or, scientific peer-reviewed literature concerning human or animal studies of neural responses to vertebral subluxation, vertebral displacement or movement, or both.

An area of debate among chiropractors is whether " vertebral subluxation " is a metaphysical concept ( as posited in B. J. Palmer's philosophy of chiropractic ) or a real phenomenon.

In an article on vertebral subluxation, the chiropractic authors wrote:

Adjustment shall be differentiated from spinal manipulation in that the adjustment can only be applied to a vertebral malposition with the express intent to improve or correct the subluxation, whereas any joint, subluxated or not, may be manipulated to mobilize the joint or to put the joint through its range of motion ... Chiropractic is a specialized field in the healing arts, and by prior rights, the spinal adjustment is distinct and singular to the chiropractic profession.

The intention of a chiropractic adjustment is to affect or correct the alignment, motion and / or function of a vertebral joint.

* Orthospinology Procedure-is a method of analyzing and correcting the chiropractic upper cervical subluxation complex based on vertebral alignment measurements on neck x-rays taken from three different directions.

The World Health Organization ( WHO ) defines both the medical subluxation and the chiropractic subluxation.

The WHO acknowledges this difference between the medical and chiropractic definitions of a subluxation.

This difference has been noted in the proceedings of the chiropractic profession's Mercy Center Consensus Conference: " The chiropractic profession refers to this concept as a ' subluxation '.

Although some chiropractic associations and colleges support the concept of subluxation, many in the chiropractic profession reject it and shun the use of this term as a diagnosis In the United States and in Canada the term " nonallopathic lesion " is commonly used in place of subluxation as a diagnosis, and is considered a more accurate descriptor of lesions that chiropractors treat most commonly.

Cooperstein and Gleberzon have described the situation: "... although many in the chiropractic profession reject the concept of " subluxation " and shun the use of this term as a diagnosis, the presidents of at least a dozen chiropractic colleges of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges ( ACC ) developed a consensus definition of " subluxation " in 1996.

A subluxation is evaluated, diagnosed, and managed through the use of chiropractic procedures based on the best available rational and empirical evidence.

Traditionally there have been 5 components that form the chiropractic subluxation.

Considering this phenomenon, Seaman suggests that the chiropractic concept of joint complex ( somatic ) dysfunction should be incorporated into the differential diagnosis of pain and visceral symptoms because these dysfunctions often generate symptoms similar to those produced by true visceral disease and notes that this mimicry leads to unnecessary surgical procedures and medications.

Indeed, many progressive chiropractors have rejected the historical concept of the chiropractic subluxation in favor of ones that more accurately describe the nature of the complex joint disfunctions they treat.

* Vertebral subluxation complex, a chiropractic term

Although chiropractors have many attributes of primary care providers, chiropractic has more of the attributes of a medical specialty like dentistry or podiatry.

Throughout its history, chiropractic has been controversial.

Despite the consensus of public health professionals regarding the benefits of vaccination, among chiropractors there are significant disagreements over the subject, which has led to negative impacts on both public vaccination and mainstream acceptance of chiropractic.

Juniata also has a 95 % acceptance rate to all postgraduate programs, including medical, podiatric, dental, occupational therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic, and law schools.

The journal Dynamic Chiropractic, while highly critical of NCAHFs views on chiropractic, has written: " The National Council Against Health Fraud is considered a valuable information source for many agencies nationwide.

The NCAHF has been criticized by the supporters of the treatments it opposes, especially practitioners of modalities considered refuted by the scientific consensus, such as chiropractic, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbalism, and naturopathy.

The producer of the program replied in detail and explicitly denied these allegations: " The segment did not claim that chiropractic is fraudulent and did not attempt to prove or disprove that chiropractic " works ," but it does state that chiropractic has no basis in science.

The ACC paradigm has been criticized by chiropractic authors:

Historically, the detection of spinal misalignments ( subluxations ) by the chiropractic profession has relied on X-ray findings and physical examination.

The chiropractic profession has moved into a new age.

As research projects are able to employ new techniques and technologies to evaluate nervous system function and effects, further support for chiropractic principles has surfaced.

Such a conclusion has profound implications for the chiropractic profession.

Edzard Ernst has stated that the " core concepts of chiropractic, subluxation and spinal manipulation, are not based on sound science.

He has supported chiropractic and mentioned the influence of the Moon on blood clotting.

McPherson has many fine businesses in the downtown area, a hospital, clinics, a selection of offices for dental, medical, chiropractic, and optometric care, as well as other services.

While chiropractic theories and methods ( which are concerned with subluxations or small displacements of the spine and other joints ) do not accord with orthodox medicine ’ s current knowledge of the biomechanics of the spine, osteopathy has been largely subsumed into conventional medicine in the USA.

" The university has since stated that its chiropractic program is fully accredited by Australia's peak chiropractic training body and that the group's criticisms were unfounded.

Although claims have been made for chiropractic care, under the theory that treating subluxations in the spine may decrease symptoms, a 2006 systematic review found that overall no evidence suggests that spinal manipulation is effective for treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea.

Patient education on lifestyle modifications and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs ), Physical Therapy, chiropractic manipulative therapy ( CMT ), and osteopathic manipulation treatment ( OMT ) have been shown to manage such conditions ( citation needed ).

:" The words chiropractic and chiropractor have been incorrectly used in numerous publications dealing with SMT injury by medical authors, respected medical journals and medical organizations.