Recent events have thrown the spotlight on the chiropractic profession in Singapore.

On April 7, Global Corrective Chiropractic in Raffles Place suddenly closed its doors, leaving some of its patients stranded with unfinished treatment packages.

Although chiropractic was founded in the United States in the late 1800s, the first chiropractic clinic was set up in Singapore only about 25 years ago, said Dr Robert Wasserman, president of the Chiropractic Association (Singapore).

What distinguishes chiropractors from medical doctors is that chiropractic is based on the premise that 'problems with the structure of the body, particularly the spine, can cause problems with the function of your body, especially the nervous system,' said Dr Wasserman.

This means that much chiropractic treatment is geared towards improving the alignment and movement of bones and joints, so as to eliminate pain and nerve irritation.

The chiropractic view of the human body is holistic, and nutritional advice as well as lifestyle adjustments are part of the chiropractic treatment model.

'In that sense, it's a little like the Eastern model of the holistic being, but coupled with Western diagnosis and science,' he said.

Chiropractors can be engaged to treat numerous ailments, such as neck and back pains, sports injuries, neurological problems, tingling sensations in extremities, limb weakness and limited movement.

In order to do this, the most commonly employed mode of chiropractic treatment is manual therapy, which involves the chiropractor physically manipulating a joint into its optimal position.

During the procedure, a 'cracking' sound may be heard, which is the release of gas pressure within a joint during its readjustment.

This treatment may be coupled with soft tissue manipulation, physiotherapy, nutrition, electrotherapy and exercise, all of which Dr Wasserman called 'adjunct therapy'. These aim to assist and complement the primary therapy of chiropractic adjustment.

Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs to patients and they also do not perform surgery.

However, although chiropractic is an established and recognised health-care profession, Singapore does not yet have a statutory board to regulate chiropractic practices.

Chiropractors are also not employed in any public hospitals and it is impossible to attain a chiropractic degree in Singapore, as no universities here offer such a course.

In fact, according to Dr Wasserman, Singapore is the only English-speaking country that has yet to impose statutory regulations on chiropractic practices.

The closest that Singapore has to a regulatory board would be the Chiropractic Association (Singapore), which aims to be a self-governing body of the chiropractic industry here.

There are about 30 chiropractic practices in Singapore and roughly half are members of the Chiropractic Association (Singapore), said DrTerrence Yap, the vice-president of the association.

In order to be a member of the association, a practitioner needs to be a graduate of an accredited school, such as one from the US or Britain.

Also, the practice would have to be in good standing and of good reputation, as well as abide by the association's standards of practice which can be read at http://chiropractic.org.sg/

For now, as there is no statutory regulatory board for chiropractors, the onus is on the patient to ensure that his chiropractor is qualified and experienced.

'The easiest way would be to check if the practice is a member of the association,' said Dr Wasserman.

'At least, that way you can ensure that the practitioner has met certain basic standards, such as having the proper qualification.'

lting@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times, on April 30, 2008.