Chiropractic’s role in strengthening rehabilitation in health systems

Background: Rehabilitation is described as the care needed when a person is experiencing, or is likely to experience, limitations in everyday functioning. In 2019, it was estimated that 2.4 billion people were living with a condition that could benefit from rehabilitation. Chiropractors have contributed meaningfully to the delivery of rehabilitation due to their training in musculoskeletal health and person-centred care. Building on the World Federation of Chiropractic’s chiropractic rehabilitation competency framework, this commentary highlights chiropractic's role in strengthening rehabilitation in health systems. Under the “Role of Chiropractic in Rehabilitation”, we explore the postoperative setting, sports injury recovery, and neurorehabilitation. We share how the “Integration of Chiropractors into Health Systems” exists in multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams, publicly funded health systems and in hospitals. We discuss the “Economic and Social Impacts” of the chiropractic profession in low- and middle-income countries, for equity, diversity and inclusion, and regarding cultural competencies. We present “Challenges for the Chiropractic Profession” that include varying legislations within and between countries, limited recognition among other healthcare professionals, and advanced integration within multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs. Finally, we make a “Call to Action” for theory driven implementation strategies, to advocate for improved recognition of the chiropractic profession, and to enhance interprofessional education and advance rehabilitation in chiropractic curricular. Conclusions: Chiropractors can play an important role in strengthening rehabilitation in health systems as they deliver interventions for rehabilitation for people with health conditions throughout the life course, and across the continuum of care. However, barriers remain. As a profession we must align with global rehabilitation priorities and uptake taxonomies to enable equitable access to chiropractors focused on optimising function and participation.