Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine whose main principles focus on the re-alignment of the vertebrae of the spine to restore normal biomechanical motion and function to regions of the spine. The way chiropractors restore this biomechanical motion and function is through a chiropractic adjustment.

There are several ways for chiropractors to deliver this alignment, the most common being a hand adjustment. With this technique, the chiropractor locates the misaligned vertebra and provides a specific, precise thrust with their hands to ultimately "correct" the misalignment. When it is corrected, a crack-like sound is generally heard, which most have come to know and associate with standard chiropractic care.