The Case for Chiropractic Care
It has been said that medical doctors treat the disease that has the person; chiropractors treat the person that has the disease.
Truly, it is the holistic approach taken by chiropractors that has set the profession apart from the traditional medical model of health care. Rather than chase symptoms, chiropractors address the cause of the imbalance in your body that can lead to “dis-ease.” Correct the imbalance and health is restored naturally!
The fact is that medical doctors are not trained intensively to deal with the spine. In many cases, the prescription for back pain from an MD is plenty of rest and a steady diet of painkillers. Many of our patients have been advised to go away and wait until their back pain is severe enough to warrant surgery! The problem with such advice, besides the complete lack of compassion, is that many causes of back pain are not surgical.
Recent studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of American Medicine show that back surgery is overused in the US - given the outcome. Chiropractic treatment has been shown to be as effective as surgery for the treatment of bulging discs that can cause low back pain and sciatica. Many orthopedic surgeons now agree that a more conservative course of treatment may give patients a better result.
Other studies also support the use of chiropractic treatment. The US government sponsored a study of headache remedies that showed chiropractic care was ultimately more effective than pain relievers. Comparisons of worker’s compensation claims show that patients return to work sooner and at less cost when treated by a chiropractor. Consumer Reports surveys show that patients have better outcomes and higher satisfaction with chiropractic treatment vs. medical treatment. These are just a few examples from the list that just keeps growing.
There are other alternative therapy options including acupuncture, electrotherapy, massage, and stretching and flexibility regimens. These methods are reasonably effective at alleviating pain, but do nothing to correct the cause of the pain.
Chiropractic by definition focuses on eliminating the pain by correcting the cause of the ailment. More effective and often less expensive than the aforementioned treatments, Chiropractic is the substantiated remedy for back pain.