Chiropractic was founded as a health profession in the US in 1895 by a Canadian called Daniel David Palmer, who had no conventional medical training.

Palmer argued that most human disease is caused by misalignments of the spine that apply pressure on surrounding nerves. He called these misalignments “subluxations” (a term also used in conventional medicine, where it has a different meaning) and believed that they blocked the flow of a natural energy, or “life force”, through the body. Correcting these subluxations, he argued, could restore the proper flow of energy, and so restore health. Thus, he saw chiropractic spinal manipulation as a treatment for 95% of all health conditions.

Since its early days, chiropractic has fought for acceptance as a legitimate health profession. In the early 20th century, Palmer came close to declaring chiropractic a religion, at least partly because of difficulties in obtaining legal rights to practice in the US.

A common misconception, is that chiropractors only treat backs, but in fact a wide range of other conditions besides back pain can benefit from chiropractic care. Conditions that can be treated include: