chiropractic

chiropractic — adjective

IPA/ˌkaɪə.rəʊˈpræk.tɪk/
KK[kˌaɪroprˈæktɪk]IPA/ˌkaɪə.roʊˈpræk.tɪk/
  • chiropracticpositive
  • more chiropracticcomparative
  • most chiropracticsuperlative

1. connected with a type of hands-on healthcare in which a practitioner adjusts the

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

connected with a type of hands-on healthcare in which a practitioner adjusts the spine and other joints.

Example

The clinic offers chiropractic care for office workers with back pain.

collocation: chiropractic care

Mateo booked a chiropractic appointment after weeks of neck stiffness.

collocation: chiropractic appointment

Common collocations
  • chiropractic care
  • chiropractic treatment
  • chiropractic appointment
  • chiropractic clinic
  • chiropractic services
  • chiropractic adjustment
Synonyms
  • manual

    broader and less specific; it can describe many hands-on treatments, not only this field

  • spinal

    focuses on the spine itself, while chiropractic may also involve other joints

  • osteopathic

    belongs to a related but different tradition of hands-on medical care

Grammar Patterns

chiropractic + care/treatment/appointment

chiropractic + clinic/services

Usage Note

Used before nouns such as care, treatment, appointment, and clinic. It appears mainly in healthcare contexts; for the person who does this work, use chiropractor.

Common Mistakes

I had a chiropractic yesterday.
I had a chiropractic appointment yesterday.
The adjective needs a following noun such as appointment, session, or treatment.
The clinic hired a new chiropractic.
The clinic hired a new chiropractor.
Chiropractic is the descriptive word; chiropractor is the person.

chiropractic — noun

IPA/ˌkaɪərəʊˈpræktɪk/
KK[kˌaɪroprˈæktɪk]IPA/ˌkaɪərəʊˈpræktɪk/

Word family

  • chiropractor
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Chiropractic, physical therapy, osteopathy, and massage all involve hands-on care, but they are not interchangeable. Chiropractic, the target sense here, focuses on adjusting the spine and other joints to reduce pain or improve movement. Physical therapy usually aims to rebuild strength and movement through exercises, stretches, and guided rehabilitation, though manual work may be part of it. Osteopathy is a broader medical tradition that can include joint treatment but is not limited to it. Massage works mainly on muscles, tension, and relaxation rather than joint alignment. A patient might try chiropractic for repeated neck stiffness, physical therapy after knee surgery, and massage after a long flight.

physical therapy ↗osteopathymassage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • chiropractic care
  • chiropractic treatment
  • study chiropractic
  • offer chiropractic

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Chiropractic was coined in the late 1800s from Greek elements meaning 'hand' and 'practical' or 'done'. The name reflects treatment carried out with the hands, especially through manual adjustment of the body. It entered English first as the name of the practice and later produced related forms such as chiropractor.

First known use

1899

1899, in the meaning defined above