Scope of Practice and Permitted Modalities for Chiropractic Physicians
Scope anchor
Indiana scope is built around chiropractic adjustment and manipulation of spinal and extraspinal articulations to correct subluxations and related neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. Within that model the chiropractic physician may examine, diagnose, and treat, and may use diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing where Board rules permit.
Permitted modalities
Common permitted adjuncts include manual and mechanical adjustment, mobilization, traction, therapeutic exercise, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, thermal therapy, hydrotherapy, and patient education or nutrition counseling as adjuncts. Each must be within the licensee's training and competence and delivered as part of chiropractic care, not as an unrelated stand-alone business.
Prohibited acts
No surgery. No prescribing or administering prescription drugs or controlled substances. No invasive procedures beyond the permitted diagnostic arm. When findings suggest a condition outside chiropractic scope, the physician must refer rather than stretch the adjustment model.
Worked example
A patient with fever, productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain asks for "an adjustment to fix it." Reasoning: the presentation suggests a medical condition. Adjustment is not appropriate management. The chiropractor should document the findings, refer promptly, and not prescribe or manage the infection.
Traps
Treating "physiotherapy" as an unlimited license; using a modality not recognized in the Board's rule; claiming spinal adjustment treats systemic disease; failing to refer because the patient requested chiropractic care.