Chiropractic care in the military health system addresses a broader range of conditions than many service members realize. While back pain accounts for most visits, chiropractors at military treatment facilities treat everything from deployment-related injuries to stress-induced headaches, often helping service members avoid medications and stay mission-ready.
The benefit has been available since 2001, when Congress made chiropractic services permanent for active-duty personnel. Today, military chiropractors work at dozens of installations across the country.
What Brings Service Members to Chiropractic Care
Musculoskeletal injuries render about 68,000 service members unfit for deployment annually, causing 25 million days of limited duty at an annual cost of $3.7 billion, according to a 2021 article in the Journal of Chiropractic Humanities. Spine-related complaints are the single most common injury active-duty personnel report, and these problems increase during combat training and deployments.
Studies found that most patients at military treatment facilities have chronic musculoskeletal conditions rather than acute injuries. Service members carry heavy gear, sit in cramped positions for extended periods, and perform repetitive physical tasks under demanding conditions.
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Beyond the Spine
Military chiropractors treat more than back problems. The conditions they address include neck pain from computer work or vehicle operation, headaches and migraines from stress and physical strain, joint pain in shoulders and knees from heavy loads, deployment-related musculoskeletal injuries, postural problems from desk work, and flexibility limitations that affect performance.
Research from the Military Health System shows that service members with chronic pain who received chiropractic care while on active duty had better outcomes after transitioning to veteran status. They were less likely to develop substance use disorders, experience accidental opioid poisoning, or have suicidal ideation.
How Treatment Works
Military chiropractors use joint manipulation to restore normal function and reduce pain, soft tissue techniques for muscle tension, therapeutic exercise to build strength and physiotherapeutic modalities such as heat or electrical stimulation.
Military chiropractors have privileges to order spinal X-rays, request laboratory tests and assign service members to quarters or limited duty. The typical treatment course ranges from five to six visits based on studies at military facilities.
A Drug-Free Pain Management Option
Chiropractic care doesn't involve prescriptions, which matters as DOD works to reduce opioid reliance. Service members using chiropractic care are 64 percent less likely to receive opioid prescriptions. In a study of more than 100,000 people, those who received chiropractic care had half the likelihood of filling an opioid prescription.
For aircrew and others in positions where medication affects duty status, chiropractic care offers pain relief without disqualifying medications. This is particularly relevant in aviation, where back and neck pain are common but pilots must maintain flight status.
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How Service Members Access Care
Chiropractic care is available only to active-duty service members and activated Guard or reserve members at designated military hospitals and clinics. Family members and retirees aren't eligible but can seek care in the community at their own expense.
Most facilities require a referral from a primary care manager, who decides whether chiropractic care is appropriate and determines treatment duration and frequency. A few installations allow direct scheduling with the chiropractic clinic without going through a medical gatekeeper.
The referral requirement creates challenges because many medical providers have limited knowledge of what chiropractors treat. Service members who could benefit sometimes get referred to physical therapy instead simply because their primary care manager isn't familiar with chiropractic scope of practice.
Service members interested in treatment should ask their primary care manager about availability at their installation. Those at bases without chiropractic services may need off-base Tricare referrals, which adds barriers to access.
Integration and Evidence
Military chiropractors work as part of multidisciplinary teams alongside physicians and physical therapists. Research found that collaboration improves when care respects what other providers do while meeting patient needs. Well-integrated chiropractors provide comprehensive conservative care that reduces the need for invasive interventions.
The largest clinical trial, published in JAMA Network Open in 2018, found that adding chiropractic care to routine medical care resulted in moderate short-term improvements in low back pain intensity and disability among active-duty personnel. Patient satisfaction with chiropractic care in military settings tends to be high.
Current Access
Congress established chiropractic care for active-duty personnel in 2001, following a three-year demonstration program that proved the concept worked. The system expanded to 66 military clinics at its peak. Recent years saw clinic closures when contracts expired without renewal.
The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Defense Health Agency to reopen at least six clinics that served 400 or more patients monthly and explore placing military chiropractors in the General Schedule pay system. Service members should check with their military treatment facility to determine whether chiropractic services are currently available on their installation.
For service members dealing with musculoskeletal complaints, chiropractic care represents a proven, nonpharmacological treatment option. Understanding what military chiropractors treat and how to access services helps service members make informed decisions about their health care.
Sources: "An Essential Guide to Chiropractic in the United States Military Health System and Veterans Health Administration," Journal of Chiropractic Medicine (2021); "Chiropractic services in the active duty military setting: a scoping review," Chiropractic & Manual Therapies (2019); "Effect of Usual Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care vs Usual Medical Care Alone on Pain and Disability Among US Service Members With Low Back Pain," JAMA Network Open (2018); "Chiropractic Health Care Program," Tricare.mil; "Chiropractic practice in military and veterans health care: The state of the literature," Journal of Canadian Chiropractic Association (2009); "The health and productivity cost burden of the 'top 10' physical and mental health conditions affecting six large U.S. employers in 1999," Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2003); "What Would it Take to Put a Chiropractor in Khakis? Effecting Chiropractors as Commissioned Officers in the U.S. Military—A Historical Brief," Military Medicine (2022).
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