Chiropractor

Introduction

Chiropractors use manipulation (a special way of moving the joints) to treat the problems that people have with their joints, muscles and nervous system. The most common complaints they treat are backache, neck pains and headaches.

Back to Top

Work Activities

Chiropractors diagnose and treat problems in the body's muscular-skeletal system that can adversely affect the nervous system. While they work mainly on the spine, they also assess the whole body and can treat a wide variety of conditions including backache, sports injuries and headaches.

A lot of their work may be with athletes. They also treat older people for conditions related to arthritis. Some patients are suffer from stress related conditions such as subluxation; is a loss of function in the spine and nervous system due to a reduction in its normal motion or alignment.

The treatment chiropractors give is called manipulation. Using their hands, the chiropractor feels the patient's joints to find where the bones or tissues are out of line. They then manipulate the joints to adjust them back to their normal position.

At a first consultation, the chiropractor discusses the client's problem and takes case notes. Then the chiropractor examines the client, perhaps asking them to stand and move in certain ways so that their posture can be observed. Chiropractors use a lot of diagnostic procedures, such as X-rays (either carrying them out themselves or referring the patient to have them done), MRI scans, and blood and urine tests.

Another part of the examination is done by the chiropractor feeling the joints of the patient's spine and/or other parts of the body. The purpose of the examination is to assess the problem and identify the part of the body that is causing it.

Nowadays, as well as treating patients through manipulation chiropractors increasingly make use of ultrasound, electrical current therapy and computerised diagnostic equipment. However they do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery.

The first treatment (including the consultation interview) usually lasts about an hour, but following treatments can be anywhere between five minutes and an hour. The number of treatments needed by different patients varies with the severity of their problem. Some patients have chiropractic treatments as a preventive or maintenance programme.

The work can be physically tiring, especially in making a lot of home visits. It may also be emotionally testing, as chiropractors need to listen carefully to patients and help to dispel their anxieties.

Back to Top

Personal Qualities and Skills

You will need to enjoy learning about the science of the body and how it works. You'll also need a logical and analytical approach to your work, and good listening skills.

You should enjoy working with people and have a caring disposition. Tact and sensitivity are vital. Because the practice of chiropractic is based on the use of your hands, you will need a good sense of touch and flexible, accurate hand skills.

If you are going to be self-employed, you will need sound business sense.

Back to Top

Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Earnings for chiropractors vary, depending on the number of clients they see.

Self-employed chiropractors charge from around £30 per session. Annual earnings can exceed £30,000 a year, depending on the success of the practice. However, earnings can be considerably less than these, especially when starting out.

Most practitioners are self-employed. They may choose their hours of work to suit their clients. Evening and weekend work is common and some chiropractors make home visits.

There may be opportunities to join an established practice. There may also be opportunities to work in NHS health centres.

Some chiropractors work from home, hire a room at a complementary therapy centre or establish their own treatment premises.

Chiropractic is a growing profession and there are opportunities to practise all over the UK. There are also some opportunities outside the UK, for example, in teaching or research.

If you wish, further specialist study could enable you to work with animals.

Back to Top

Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter a recognised degree course, you might be able to start one after completing a college or university Access course, eg, Access to Science.

You don't usually need any qualifications to start an Access course, although you should check this with the course provider.

Chiropractic training course providers may consider applications from candidates who do not meet their usual entry requirements. You should check the admissions policy of individual course providers.

The Anglo-European College of Chiropractic in Bournemouth (AECC), the University of Glamorgan and the McTimoney College of Chiropractic (MCC) near Oxford run one-year full-time preliminary courses for students who do not meet the normal requirements for entry.

Adults can apply for funding from the British Chiropractic Trust Fund.

• 61% of people in occupations such as chiropractor are self-employed.
• 55% work part-time.
• 8% have flexible hours.

Back to Top