Chiropractic colleges accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) offer Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree programs. (CCE is the agency certified by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit chiropractic colleges in the United States.) Admission to a chiropractic college requires a minimum of 90 semester hour credits of undergraduate study, mostly in the sciences.

In the United States, chiropractic is often considered a complementary health approach. According to a recent survey, about 8 percent of adults (more than 18 million) and nearly 3 percent of children (more than 2 million) had received chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation in the past 12 months. Additionally, an analysis of NHIS cost data found that adults in the United States spent approximately $11.9 billion out-of-pocket on visits to complementary health practitioners — $3.9 billion of which was spent on visits to practitioners for chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation.

The purpose of spinal manipulation, also called spinal adjustment, is to restore joint mobility by manually applying a controlled force into joints that have become hypomobile — or restricted in their movement — as a result of a tissue injury. Tissue injury can be caused by a single traumatic event, such as improper lifting of a heavy object, or through repetitive stresses, such as sitting in an awkward position with poor spinal posture over an extended period of time.

Chiropractic is a health care profession that focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system, and the effects of these disorders on general health. Chiropractic services are used most often to treat neuromusculoskeletal complaints, including but not limited to back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.

You don’t have to rely solely on regular visits to the chiropractor to keep your spine and back feeling good. As with most aspects of your health, you are the person with the most control. Here are some things to do during the course of the day.

As with many forms of health care, people will sometimes ask: If I’m feeling good, why do I need it? In terms of chiropractic treatment, one answer could be, “Are you feeling the best you could be?” Are you reaching maximum capacity?

Here are more tips to strengthen and protect your back while working.

2. Set yourself up for success

Do you experience regular back pain? You’re not alone. According to the National Institute of occupational Safety and Health, more than 1 in 4 (26%) working adults experience low back pain. Studies show that back pain can limit your activities and impact your ability to work. In fact, the Health Policy Institute found it to be a leading cause of work-loss days, with 83 million days of work lost per year.

Whether you work from home, the office or a combination of both, it’s important to invest in your musculoskeletal health and protect your back.

A new study found that adults with newly diagnosed sciatica who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) were significantly less likely to experience opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADES) such as overdose and poisoning over a one-year follow-up compared to those receiving usual medical care.

A new study led by researchers at University Hospitals Connor Whole Health found that adults with newly diagnosed sciatica who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) were significantly less likely to experience opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADES) such as overdose and poisoning over a one-year follow-up, compared to those receiving usual medical care.