The Chiropractic Network is the community-based organisation of a profession which specialises in the assessment, treatment and management of spine-related conditions.

We recognise and support a scope of practice which embraces the awareness of the currently understated importance of the spine in the function of the human body. This is an educated view which acknowledges the interaction between different subsystems within the body, balanced against the need for predictability within the concept of treatment.

Chiropractic is a care method and not a treatment. The care method comprises two stages: assessment and management.

Assessment serves to uncover the components of a patient’s presentation which show sign of being abnormal or sub-optimal.

These can amongst others include; biomechanical, nutritional, endocrine, mental and lifestyle components. This ideology serves to further the depth of assessment and the quality of the ensuing care. The more complete the understandings of the contributory factors which impede normal function and recovery, the more complete the recovery and permanence of the recovery. The traditionally prevalent knowledge base of chiropractors focuses on biomechanical factors with a primary focus on spinal biomechanics and an acknowledged interest in podiatry, malocclusion and rehabilitation.

Management serves to help remove any such abnormal function(s) where possible.

Those anomalies which require other professionals to be involved elicit referrals which are timed to suit the treatment goals. On occasions where manipulative therapy is appropriate, a chiropractor may refer to him or herself or to another chiropractor. Not all treatment is suitably administered by chiropractors. Some chiropractors have additional fields of expertise which would enable further self-referrals. This would be in the view of practicing as a specialist within this field/these fields, additionally to that of the chiropractic practice and needs to be explained as such.

The chiropractic practice contains manual therapies which aim to elicit changes in established functional neuronal circuitry which resulted in destructive physiology, by eliciting new sensory and proprioceptive input in the view of establishing an alternative functional neuronal circuitry and ensuing reduction in the destructiveness of the previous physiology. By reducing the degree of destructiveness of a system’s physiology, the chiropractor aims to lower it below the person’s natural level of tissue repair, resulting in a positive development and ultimately, where possible, healing. Traditionally chiropractic method describes the act of using manipulative therapies particularly those applied to the spine, but has come to include extremity joints and soft-tissues. Some chiropractors have embraced acupuncture, acupressure and other therapeutic sensory stimuli with the view of facilitating more rapid, more substantial and more permanent reorganisation.

The treatment protocol is designed to bear two main factors in mind: -the potential for recovery and the individual need. The former reflects the level of anatomical, physiological and functional adaptation which needs to be counteracted, the general health status of a person and their genetic limitations. The latter reflects the actual degree to which the rectification is required to meet the individual’s needs. This means that it is subject to discussion and agreement on behalf of both parties what the intended scope of management is.

An ethical dilemma does exist in chiropractic practice and that is when patients opt for an injury management protocol which only serves to reduce the injury as it presents. Where it is clear to the chiropractor that the chosen management is not a viable long-term approach which creates dependency and/or scope for dissatisfaction with the outcomes, a substantial discussion must be had with the patient to clarify that treating an injury, rather than treating the mechanism for this injury (if one is present) absolves the practitioner from any responsibility for future relapses or development of new problems ensuing from this destructive mechanism.

Chiropractors should, considering their training and knowledge, emphasise the most cost effective and sympathetic management protocol. This protocol should in those cases where underlying systematic dysfunction is present and undermines the person’s well-being, be geared towards resolution of this dysfunction. In those cases where resolution is not possible a preventative management should aim to minimise the negative impact of the continued existence of the degenerative dysfunction so as to safe-guard biomechanical and structural longevity to the maximum.