October is National Chiropractic Health Month, and it’s the time of year when people celebrate chiropractors and their contributions. Chiropractors treat conditions affecting the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Although they don’t hold an M.D. degree like medical doctors, they are professionals dedicated to providing their patients with individualized, non-invasive, and specialized care.

Their work focuses on aligning the body, especially the spine, to relieve pain and reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis. The work they do fills an important niche in the health care system, and millions of people around the world have been helped by their efforts. That’s more than enough reason for people to thank their chiropractors during this month.

The History of National Chiropractic Month

Despite our research, we have been unable to determine exactly when National Chiropractic Month was established. We’re pretty sure that it was created by the American Chiropractic Association a few years ago, but we’ve been unable to uncover the precise date of its creation.

Amazing Facts About Chiropractors

We wanted to add a trivia section to this article because, for many people, what chiropractors do is somewhat of a mystery, and there are many misconceptions floating around.

If you ask the average person what a chiropractor does, they’ll probably say that they are a person who “cracks” backs. However, that’s only a small part of what they actually do. So, let’s learn a little bit more about chiropractors and the chiropractic industry by taking a look at the following bullet points.

• The word “chiropractic” comes from two Greek words: “Cheir” means “hand,” and “praktos” means “done by hand.”
• Every year, an estimated 36 million Americans are treated by chiropractic doctors.
• In the U.S. alone, there are currently over 10,000 students enrolled in chiropractic education programs.
• Currently, there are 95,000 chiropractic doctors worldwide.
• It’s estimated that all of the world’s chiropractors together perform one million adjustments each day.
• Chiropractors are regulated by law in over 40 countries and in every U.S. state.
• Chiropractic care for lower back pain can be 20% less expensive if performed by a chiropractor rather than a medical doctor.
• Chiropractors must complete at least 4,200 hours of classroom, lab, and clinical internships to earn their license.
• People who are injured at work are 28 times less likely to undergo spinal surgery if they first visit a chiropractor rather than a medical doctor.

Observing National Chiropractic Month

This month can be observed in several different ways. People can make an appointment with their chiropractor during this month, send their chiropractor a thank-you note, or give all chiropractors a shout-out on the internet using the hashtag #NationalChiropracticMonth.