Egypt arrests TikTok 'chiropractor' for practising illegally

Egyptian authorities have on Saturday arrested Tiktoker Youssef Khairy, a self-employed chiropractor, for allegedly practising without a license and reportedly conning people into believing he ran a legal practice. 

Authorities closed down Khairy's centre where he filmed customers - which included celebrities and famous artists - receiving chiropractic treatment from him to post on his social media channels, according to local media reports.

Reports said he took advantage of his famous clientele by sharing pictures and videos of his sessions with them to promote himself while charging large sums of money for the treatments. 

Khairy allegedly falsely led his patients to believe he was able to treat spine, neck and joint pain, authorities said, adding that he claimed to held a master's degree as a chiropractic practitioner. 

The TikTok star has named himself the "plumber of humans" and has a total of 2 million followers on the platform - nearing the top 50 most popular accounts in Egypt. 

Chiropractic videos on TikTok have risen to popularity partly because more people experience muscle and joint pain working from home due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and not having comfortable chairs or desks to work from. 

But also joint popping videos have also gained traction because viewers simply find the cracks and noises satisfying. 

Dr Cracks @dr.cracks, Dr Alex @occhiropractor and Dr Matthew Pennell @drpennell5 are some of the most influential chiropractors on TikTok in the US and have a collective following of nearly 6 million users.