Facts About Chiropractic
- There are 77,000 Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) in the United States who are required to pass a series of four national board exams1 and be state licensed.2 Roughly another 3,000 DCs work in academic and management roles.
- There are approximately 10,000 chiropractic students3 in 18 nationally accredited, chiropractic doctoral graduate education programs4 across the United States with 2,500 Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) entering the workforce every year.5
- An estimated 40,000 chiropractic assistants (CAs)6 are in clinical7 and business management roles for chiropractic practices across the United States.
- It is estimated that Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) treat over 27 million Americans (adults and children) annually.8
- Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) are educated in nationally accredited, four-year doctoral graduate school programs9 through a curriculum that includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical internship,10 with the average DC program equivalent in classroom hours to allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) medical schools.11
- Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) are designated as physician-level providers in the vast majority of states and federal Medicare program. The essential services provided by DCs are also available in federal health delivery systems, including those administered by Medicaid, the U.S. Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, Federal Workers' Compensation, and all state workers' compensation programs.12
What to expect on your first visit
Many new patients are not sure what to expect during their first appointment with a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). Chiropractors start by taking a patient’s history and then performing a physical examination to develop a working diagnosis.
Learn more about what to expect >
Frequently Asked Questions
What conditions do chiropractors treat? How do I select a doctor of chiropractic? Is chiropractic treatment safe? Get answers to these questions and more here.
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