Integration of Chiropractic Care into the Military

Dr. William Morgan has been providing chiropractic services at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland for the past ten years (1998-2008). While he cares for our nation’s heroes and our nation’s leaders, he also participates in medical research projects. I found the study that reported a high patient satisfaction rate with military personnel receiving chiropractic services to be of interest. Check it out. http://www.drmorgan.info/

In addition to having highly satisfied patients, the study found that chiropractic care could recover a significant number of workdays: “Integrating chiropractic care into the MHS will result in improved access to health care services for military personnel and will lead to the recovery of between 111,000 and 331,000 additional duty days per year.”

Chiropractic Care in the Military Today

Editor's note, 2026: Chiropractic care has become a regular part of military medicine since this article was written. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 directed the Department of Defense to make a chiropractic benefit available to all active-duty service members, to be phased in across the service branches, with care covering, at a minimum, the neuromusculoskeletal conditions typical among active-duty personnel. Chiropractors now work at many military treatment facilities alongside physicians and physical therapists.

Low back and neck problems are among the most common reasons service members lose duty time, which is why programs like the one Dr. Morgan helped develop focus on getting people back to full function. For related reading, see Dr. Lehman's article on chiropractic care for veterans, Giving Our Veterans the Care They Deserve, and our patient guides to back pain red flags and your first chiropractic visit.