The profession of the chiropractor

Chiropractic aims at understanding the state of the spinal column and its relationship with health, as well as the application of spinal adjustment aimed at correcting “vertebral subluxations”  or problems with the spine.

Becoming a chiropractor means dealing mainly with  painful disorders of the spine : stiff neck, sciatica, crushing of the intervertebral discs, leg disorders, pain in the shoulders and arms.

A  professional chiropractor  finds the cause of various ailments by investigating the irregular position of the vertebral joints: everything goes through a careful  listening to the clinical history , checking any radiographs  and special  tests to evaluate the symmetry  of the two halves of the body, the posture and spine.

At that point the expert intervenes with a specific manual treatment aimed at correcting the alterations of the individual elements of the spine.

Becoming a Chiropractor

For those wishing to become a chiropractor, great passion and above all a spirit of sacrifice is required. To this must be added the availability and the possibility of  studying abroad . As things currently stand, the future Italian chiropractor has only one path ahead of him: to attend a foreign university (17 American, 2 Canadian, 2 Australian, 3 British, 1 Japanese, 1 Danish, 1 French, 1 Swedish, 1 new Zealander) recognized by the CCE , the Council on Chiropratic Education .  

In all the aforementioned universities, teaching is given in English , with the exception of the Danish, French, Japanese universities and one of the two Canadian universities where the basic language is French; from the fact that the overwhelming majority of the teaching language is English, that all the main textbooks are in that language, it follows that 90% of Chiropractors are English-speaking.

Before being able to enroll in a chiropractic university, the Italian student must achieve scientific maturity and must demonstrate a good knowledge of the English language.

The six years of studies  also include an internship period to be carried out in university clinics that use chiropractic methodologies. The curriculum, which consists of 5,000 class hours, is divided into basic science, clinical science and internship. At the end of the career, the title of  Doctor of Chiropractic is obtained .

The chiropractor in Italy and abroad

Chiropractic is one of several natural techniques that, in many countries, has been recognized by classical medicine . In the United States, it consists of a therapy that is widely accepted and reimbursed by the public health system. The WHO , the World Health Organization , has dictated the guidelines for becoming a chiropractor and, also in Italy, the most prestigious medical faculties have organized joint conferences of doctors and chiropractors to improve collaboration for the benefit of patients. 

Since December 2007,  chiropractic has also been legally recognized in Italy , with the inclusion of an amendment in the 2008 financial law (art.2, com. 355):A register of doctors of chiropractic is established at the Ministry of Health, free of charge for public finance. Enrollment in the aforementioned register is allowed to those who are in possession of a master’s degree in chiropractic or equivalent qualification. The chiropractic graduate has the title of Doctor of Chiropractic and exercises his duties freely as a primary health professional in the field of health law, in accordance with current legislation. The chiropractor can be inserted or have an agreement in or with the structures of the National Health Service in the ways and forms provided for by the legal system . 

Find information

For your safety , given that this profession has not been protected for more than 30 years in Italy, you can contact the Italian Chiropractors Association , founded in 1974, both to protect the profession and to protect patients, asking for information on courses, qualifications and professionals in the area.

The Italian Chiropractors Association, founded in the 1970s, today estimates 250 members, of which only 60 are of Italian origin. On the web, an inexhaustible source of news and information on chiropractic is the AIC website. A portal with an elegant and effective aesthetic where you will find the map of the studies open in Italy, useful information for those who want to train in the method and carry out internships in specialized clinics, as well as many reports of sites of interest, such as the  World Federation portal of Chiropractic  and the International Chiropractors Association website .