Chiropractor Salaries in USA

The first thing that always struck me about the word "Chiropractic" was that I did know the origins of the word. If you look up the word on etymonline.com, you get: Greek. cheir (gen. cheiros) = "hand" and praktikos = "practical". Or in other words a doctor trained to practice to heal with his hand.

At one point of my life I even believed Chiropractor was a hand doctor and was the opposite of a podiatrist, who is a doctor of the feet...LOL, but it was rather fascinating to know that Chiropractors are actually trained in the 'adjusment' or therapeutic manipulation of the spine or the vertebral column.
So what do these chiropractors really do ?

As MayoClinic puts it,

"During an adjustment, chiropractors use their hands to apply a controlled, sudden force to a joint. This maneuver often results in a cracking sound made by separation of the joint surfaces — not, as many people think, by "cracking joints. Chiropractors may also use massage and stretching to relax muscles that are shortened or in spasm. Many use additional treatments as well, such as ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation and exercises."

What is the Salary of a Chiropractor in USA?

Let's now talk bucks. Here are the representative annual mid-career income figures for chiropractic physicians in the USA:

Houston, TX: $85,000/-
Los Angeles, CA: 92,000/-
Miami, FL: 82,000/-
New York, NY: $96,664/-
Seattle, WA: $90,000/-
National Average = $81,000/-

How to Become a Chiropractor in the USA ?
 
After completing a 4-year pre-med style undergraduate college, candidates must obtain admission in a 4-year Chiropractic College to get a Doctor of Chiropractic [D.C] degree. National Boards after this college grants a license to practice. Look at the official FAQ about the educational requirements from the Council of Chiropractic Education.

The often voiced concern is that Chiropractors are a kind of 'alternative medicine' docs and not even real physicians - which is incorrect. Chiropractic students in fact undergo comparable hours and medical syllabus as the regular MD track medical students. Here's a neat article that compares the curriculum and study hours. They have their own American Academy of Chiropractic Physicians.

Another recent feather on the cap of chiropractors is a study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension which found that adjustment of the first bone of the spine - called the Atlas or C-1, does reduce the blood pressure levels to an amount equivalent to the effect of two blood-pressure medications given in combination.