Most people only know two things about chiropractic:
So when you ask:
“What is chiropractic, and how does it actually work to relieve pain?”
…what you’re really asking is:
Grab a tea. I’ll walk you through this as if you were a close friend sitting in my clinic, asking, “Right, talk to me properly. No fluff.”
Forget the stereotypes for a moment.
In plain language:
Chiropractic is a drug-free, hands-on approach that focuses on how your spine, joints, and nervous system move and function – with the goal of reducing pain and improving how you live your life.
Most people see a chiropractor for things like:
A modern chiropractor doesn’t just “click things”.
They usually combine:
Guidelines for spine pain now place spinal manipulation alongside other conservative therapies like exercise and education for low back pain, especially when it’s persistent.
So it’s not witchcraft. It’s one of the tools in the evidence-based conservative care toolbox.
Let’s de-mystify the experience.
A good first visit typically looks like this:
You’ll go through:
This is where we’re already narrowing down:
Is this likely a mechanical problem (joints, muscles, nerves, loading)…
or something more serious that needs medical investigation?
This isn’t just “touch toes and twist”.
It can include:
This is about pattern recognition:
Serious “red flag” patterns (e.g. cancer, infection, fracture, cauda equina) should trigger immediate medical referral or imaging, not more manipulation.
By the end of the consult, you should hear something like:
You should understand:
If you don’t get that clarity, you’re allowed to say, “Can you explain that again in plain English?”
This is the famous bit everyone recognises visually but not conceptually.
A spinal adjustment (or high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation) is:
A quick, precise movement applied to a specific joint, within a safe range, aimed at improving its motion and changing how the nervous system is firing in that area.
Key points:
But chiropractors don’t just use thrusts. They also use:
In real practice, an adjustment is one tool inside a session, not the whole session.
Great question – and this is where it gets interesting. It’s not just “bones back in place”.
Modern research suggests spinal manipulation works through multiple mechanisms:
Let’s unpack those.
If a joint is stiff or not moving properly, you often get:
An adjustment or mobilisation can:
A 2023 randomized trial in chronic primary low back pain found that a 12-session course of spinal manipulation produced greater pain relief than a sham/control intervention, suggesting mechanical and/or neurophysiological benefits beyond placebo.
Another recent RCT (2025) looking at spinal manipulation in spine pain found that properly delivered high-velocity, low-amplitude techniques produced clinical improvements compared with some control approaches, supporting a real treatment effect.
So, at the very local level:
Joints move better → muscles calm down → less mechanical irritation.
Let’s talk outcomes, not just theory.
We’ll focus on spine pain and headaches, because that’s where the bulk of the research is.
Low back pain is the big one. It’s common, stubborn, and often multi-factorial.
A large 2019 BMJ systematic review of spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain concluded:
A huge 2025 umbrella review of non-surgical treatments for low back pain found that only a handful of interventions (including exercise and spinal manipulation) showed small but real pain-relieving effects beyond placebo.
Recent clinical practice guideline overviews (2024) note that:
The American College of Physicians guideline also recommends non-drug therapies such as spinal manipulation for acute and subacute low back pain before medications.
So the honest summary for low back pain:
On average, spinal manipulation gives small-to-moderate improvements in pain and function – about as good as the other main conservative options – and it’s one of the treatments that big guidelines say is reasonable to use, especially combined with exercise and education.
Neck pain is a bit less studied than low back pain, but similar patterns emerge:
Again, not magic – but a useful piece of the conservative-care puzzle, especially when integrated with movement and self-management.
Headache is broad; we’re mainly talking about:
A 2020 systematic review found that for cervicogenic headache, spinal manipulation provides small but superior short-term benefits for pain, frequency, and disability compared with some controls, though long-term effects are less clear and evidence quality is variable.
More recent work (2024 RCT) showed cervical spine manipulation was more effective than thoracic manipulation and conventional physiotherapy in improving pain and disability in cervicogenic headache.
Older reviews also noted some benefit of manipulation for chronic headache disorders, but emphasised the need for better-quality trials.
So the honest takeaway:
For some headache types—especially neck-related headaches—chiropractic spinal manipulation can help some people, particularly in the short term and when combined with other strategies.
Let’s clear a few things up.
If your spine were truly “out of place” in the dramatic way some diagrams show, you’d likely be in an emergency department, not a clinic.
We’re dealing with:
Not dislocated vertebrae floating around your body.
You’ll see claims online that adjustments:
The reality:
Most evidence-based chiropractors today focus on musculoskeletal and neuromusculoskeletal problems – where the science is strongest.
Chiropractic is part of the team, not a rival.
The best results often come when:
Different tools. Same goal: get you functioning and feeling better.
You might be a good fit if:
You might need careful co-management or alternative plans if:
A good chiropractor will:
If they never refer or “don’t believe” in working alongside medicine, that’s a red flag.
The best question you can ask yourself is not:
“Should I only see a chiropractor?”
…but:
“How could chiropractic fit into a bigger plan to get me out of pain and keep me there?”
A strong integrated plan usually includes:
Spinal manipulation by itself can help – but research and guidelines are clear: it works best as part of a package that includes exercise and self-management.
We covered stroke risk in detail in the previous blog, so here’s the quick, broader safety snapshot.
So in practice:
For most people with straightforward mechanical spine pain, spinal manipulation delivered by a trained clinician appears to have a good safety profile, with serious complications very rare, but not zero.
Your chiropractor should always:
Here’s your mini checklist.
You want someone who is:
Confident but humble, skilled with their hands but also happy to not adjust if it’s not appropriate that day
If you strip away the noise, chiropractic is simply:
A way of helping sore, stiff, overloaded bodies move and feel better by combining hands-on work with smart movement and lifestyle changes.
From the research we have right now:
Is it a miracle cure? No.
Is it snake oil? Also no.
It’s a legitimate, evidence-supported option for many people with spine-related pain – especially when combined with exercise, education, and sensible lifestyle changes.
And you always get to ask:
“Does this make sense for me, in my situation, right now?”
If you keep that question front and centre – and work with a chiropractor who welcomes it – you’re using chiropractic exactly the way modern science would want you to.
If you’re living with back pain, neck tension, sciatica, headaches or just feel your body isn’t moving the way it should, you don’t have to put up with it or try to guess what’s wrong.
At Bedford Chiropractic Clinic, we offer a £49 new patient consultation where we:
Explain clearly what we’ve found and what your options are
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
2:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
CLOSED
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
FOR EMERGENCY ONLY
Sunday
Closed
@ 2025 Bedford Chiropractic Clinic