chiropractic

[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.
Origin
1895-1900, Americanism; chiro- + -practic < Greek praktikós; see practical
Examples from the web for chiropractic
  • If the right pressure could be applied to him he would be cheerfully in favor of chiropractic, astrology or cannibalism.
  • While realignments may bring immediate relief in chiropractic, they do little for investors.
  • The one bias that my small-town doctor dad drilled into his children was against the chiropractic world.
  • All you had to do was attend a college of chiropractic medicine and you got out of it.
  • She sought chiropractic treatments for a neck injury and helped nurse a priest dying of cancer.
  • Osteopathy had some shared theory with chiropractic.
  • chiropractic is too important a practice to be torn apart by some gold-digging naysayers.
  • chiropractic techniques have been useful for some people whose condition is produced by pinched nerves.
  • Room amenities include chiropractic mattresses, mini-refrigerators and coffee makers.
  • chiropractic care, like all medical treatment, benefits from the placebo response.
British Dictionary definitions for chiropractic

chiropractic

/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
Derived Forms
chiropractor, noun
Word Origin
C20: from chiro- + -practic, from Greek praktikos effective, practical
Word Origin and History for chiropractic

coined in American English, 1898 (adj.); 1899 (n.), from chiro- "hand" + praktikos "practical" (see practical), the whole of it loosely meant as "done by hand."

chiropractic in Medicine

chiropractic chi·ro·prac·tic (kī'rə-prāk'tĭk)
n.
A system of therapy that utilizes the recuperative powers of the body and the relationship between the musculoskeletal structures and the functions of the body, particularly of the spinal column and the nervous system, in the restoration and maintenance of health.

chi'ro·prac'tor n.
chiropractic in Culture
chiropractic [(keye-ruh-prak-tik)]

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.