Objective To investigate the effect of chiropractic therapy on the inflammatory response and apoptosis of intervertebral disc cells in rats with cervical spondylosis and its possible mechanism. Methods Overall, 8 SPF SD rats were randomly selected as the sham operation group (half male and female). The remaining rats were used to establish an intervertebral disc model by the dynamic and static imbalance method . Model rats were randomly divided into model, chiropractic, and control groups with eight rats in each group. The chiropractic group was subjected to chiropractic therapy every day, the control group was administered 0. 75 mg/ kg meloxicam tablets every day, and sham operation and model groups were untreated for 28 days. HE staining was used to detect histopathological changes of the intervertebral disc. TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis of intervertebral disc cells. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) protein expression in intervertebral disc tissue. Serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels were measured by ELISA. RT-qPCR was used to measure relative mRNA expression of Caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma/ leukemia-2 gene (Bcl2) and Bcl2-related X protein (Bax). Protein expression of Cleaved Caspase-3, Bax, Bcl2 and IκB kinase β (IKKβ), p-IKKβ, NF-κB inhibitor protein α (IκBα), p-IκBα, nuclear factor-κB p65 (NF-κB p65) and p-p65 was detected by Western blot. Results Compared with the sham operation group, the model, chiropractic, and control groups showed that the tissue structure of intervertebral disc was in various degrees of degeneration, the nucleus pulposus tissue shrinked, and the boundary with the external fibrous ring was unclear, meanwhile, intervertebral disc histopathological score, nucleus pulposus (NP) cell apoptosis rate, serum TNF-α and IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-1β protein expression, Caspase-3 and Bax mRNA expression, and p-IKKβ, p-p65 and p-IκBα protein expression in the intervertebral disc tissue all increased, while the expression of Bcl2 mRNA and protein decreaed (P<0. 05). Compared with the model group, the chiropractic, and control groups showed that degeneration of the intervertebral disc tissue structure was reduced gradually, and the intervertebral disc histopathological score, NP cell apoptosis rate serum TNF-α and IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-1β protein expression, caspase-3 and Bax mRNA expression, and p-IKKβ, p-p65 and p-IκBα protein expression in the intervertebral disc tissue were decreased, while Bcl2 mRNA and protein expression were increased in intervertebral disc tissue (P<0. 05). Changes in the above indexes and factors in the chiropractic group were lower than those in the control group (P<0. 05). Conclusions Chiropractic therapy reduces the inflammatory reaction and apoptosis of intervertebral disc cells in rats with cervical spondylosis and improves the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration. The mechanism may be related to inhibition of the IKKβ/ NF-κB pathway.