Sarah, would you go to a Chiropractor? A question that I’ve gotten more than once.
My initial answer is usually rather vague. That is because I have never been to a chiropractor. For every one person who hasn’t been to a chiropractor, I’ve met someone who swears by theirs. Here is the scoop on a Chiropractor vs Physical Therapist.
Both chiropractors and PTs in the outpatient setting work toward the same end. We are trying to relieve pain/ dysfunction in order for you, the patient, to live your life to the fullest potential. However, the approach is different. As a rough breakdown, a PT’s approach is to restore function through movement. A chiropractor’s approach is to improve pain/function through manual spinal adjustment. Another big difference is the scope and the setting of where PTs and chiropractors practice, which is a result of the nature of their approach. Chiropractors primarily work in an outpatient setting. A PT can practice in an outpatient, hospital, school setting, home care, military, or nursing home and may see a wider variety of pt diagnoses. Through my biased opinion, I would like to think chiropractors and PTs are totally different, however, there is a definite overlap. PTs will do manual adjustments and chiropractors will prescribe exercises, and both look to improve/modify posture, ergonomics, and daily (bad) habits to relieve discomfort.
Chiropractor vs Physical Therapist
| Chiropractor | Physical Therapy | |
| Vision Statement | High Standards, Freedom of Choice, Optimal Health | Transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience. |
| General Expertise | Focused on the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, with an emphasis on treatment through manual adjustment and/or manipulation of the spine. | Expertise in human movement and restoration of all movement related dysfunctions |
| Education | Require to pass a Medical Licensing Board No Residency/Internship required, but have the option to complete if accepted and desire to | Require to pass medical Licensing Board. minimum of 30 weeks of full time internship. Residencies exist in all specialties |
| Practice Setting | Generally private practice. Some are employed by health systems and hospitals. Generalist practice, neurology related, orthopedic related, and general alignment restoration dealing with the skeletal system. | Acute care, Inpatient/Outpatient Neurologic Rehab, General Outpatient, Orthopedic, Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Military, Sports Medicine, Women’s & Men’s Health, Wound Care, Work Rehab, Electrophysiology, etc. |
| Specialization | Orthopedics, Pediatrics, General Rehab, Internal Disorders, Radiology, Neurology, Nutrition, Occupational Health, Sports Med, Forensic Sciences. | Orthopedics, Sports Medicine, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Women’s Health, Neurology(SCI, TBI, MS, ALS, CP, Parkinson’s, etc), Cardiovascular & Pulmonary (COPD, CHF, etc), Clinical Electrophysiology. |
Would I go to a Chiropractor?
The answer is Yes. However, I still have a bias. As a PT I have a broad scope of knowledge of how conditions can be managed. In some/many scenarios a spinal adjustment is what is needed to relieve the issue and a chiropractor would be the first person I would go to. The goal should not be to go to a chiropractor or a PT indefinitely. The goal would be to receive treatment and education/techniques to maintain your improved status. It falls on you in order to change or improve upon the bad habits that caused your issue. For more information visit our website