Chiropractic was founded in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer to correct what he termed vertebral subluxations. It was originally theorized that a vertebral subluxation was a misaligned vertebrae that pinched a nerve. It was thought that this interfered with the information the nerve was transmitting between the central nervous system and the structures of the body. Palmer thought that living things had an Innate Intelligence that used the nervous system to control the body, leading him to conclude that 95% of all health problems were due to vertebral subluxations and the remaining 5% were due to other joint misalignments. In 1996, it was proposed that a vertebral subluxation is more aptly defined as, "a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological articular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influence organ system function and general health" [7]

Early on, Palmer described this concept as similar to applying pressure to a water hose that supplies a garden - relieve the pressure and the garden flourishes. While the "pinched garden hose theory" has mostly been abandoned - although it is still may be used in a modified form by some chiropractors to explain a vertebral subluxation - the concept of the subluxation remains integral to a typical chiropractic practice. In 2003, a survey showed that 90% of North American chiropractors believed the vertebral subluxation complex played a significant role in all or most diseases.[8]

Manipulation of the spine, when performed by a chiropractor, is frequently referred to as an adjustment. Though spinal manipulation for back pain has been documented from the time of the ancient Egyptians,[9] and early osteopaths practiced generalized spinal maneuvers, the attempt to precisely correct theoretical vertebral subluxations is a uniquely chiropractic endeavor.

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