Is Chiropractic Pseudoscience?
(Or Are We Just Asking the Wrong Question?)
If you’ve spent any time online, you’ve probably seen it:
“Chiropractic is pseudoscience.”
Usually tossed out casually by someone who’s never actually been under chiropractic care—or someone parroting a 20-year-old blog post.
So…
Is there any truth to that claim?
The honest answer:
It depends what you mean by “chiropractic.”
First: The Roots Matter
Chiropractic was founded in the late 1800s by a guy named D.D. Palmer.
He had some… unique ideas.
(Same way you wouldn’t judge modern medicine based on what doctors believed in 1885, let’s extend that courtesy here.)
Early chiropractic focused heavily on “subluxations” — tiny misalignments of the spine that were thought to cause disease throughout the body.
Today, science has a more nuanced understanding:
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The spine protects your nervous system.
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Your nervous system regulates everything in your body.
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If your spine isn’t moving well, your body won’t function well.
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Chronic restriction, inflammation, and pain absolutely impact your performance and longevity.
In 2024, modern chiropractic is a blend of:
✅ Orthopedic and neurological exams
✅ Evidence-based spinal manipulation
✅ Functional rehabilitation
✅ Preventive and performance care
If you think that’s “pseudoscience,” you’d have to toss out physical therapy, orthopedic medicine, and exercise science too.
What the Research Actually Says
You don’t have to take our word for it.
🔹 The American College of Physicians recommends spinal manipulation as a first-line treatment for acute and chronic low back pain.
🔹 Randomized controlled trials (the gold standard) show that chiropractic adjustments can help with headaches, neck pain, and sciatica.
🔹 Chiropractic care has been linked to reduced opioid usage for pain management.
Is there some bad chiropractic out there?
Absolutely.
(Just like there are bad personal trainers, bad MDs, and bad therapists.)
But chiropractic itself?
It’s not pseudoscience.
It’s a tool.
A tool that, when used correctly, can help you move, heal, and perform better.
The Bigger Issue: Performance vs. Pain
At Forza, we aren’t just “cracking backs.”
We help people:
⚡ Restore their full range of motion
⚡ Relieve pain without drugs or surgery
⚡ Boost athletic performance and longevity
⚡ Improve nervous system function to feel and move better every day
Pain relief is just the beginning.
Our real mission?
Optimization.
The truth is:
People who move better, live better.
That’s not pseudoscience.
That’s basic human physiology.
Final Word
Science isn’t about dogma.
It’s about testing, learning, and improving.
Modern chiropractic care is doing exactly that:
🔸 Building on its roots
🔸 Testing new methods
🔸 Helping real people achieve real results
And if that’s “pseudoscience”?
Then so is the entire field of human performance.
At Forza Chiropractic, we believe your body was designed to thrive.
Our job is to help you get there — with science, skill, and a little bit of old-school heart.