Dr. Craig Brue, D.C.
Have you ever heard anyone say, “I don’t believe in chiropractors” or “I’m afraid to go to a chiropractor for my back pain?” One of the worst possible health decisions any person can make is to discount the possibility of getting help from an alternative or complementary health provider. In everyday practice I receive frequent referrals from the medical community because many physicians, including spine surgeons, understand that spinal adjustments will help resolve acute and chronic back pain.
Do you have questions about the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic treatment? Two recent articles that were published in a prestigious medical journal, The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapy, documents that chiropractic care is both safe and effective.
The October 2014 edition of the JMPT includes the following study: Chiropractic Use in the Medicare Population: Prevalence, Patterns, and Associations With One-Year Changes in Health and Satisfaction with Care. The study was designed to examine how chiropractic care compared to medical treatment in a patient’s ability to function, their overall health, and patient satisfaction with the results of care.
The authors of the Medicare study made the following conclusion about the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment, “Chiropractic is significantly protective against declines in the activities of daily living, lifting, stooping, walking, self-rated health, and worsening health after one year. Persons using chiropractic are more satisfied with their follow-up care and with the information provided to them.”
In another recent study, the JMPT compared patient satisfaction scores in those suffering from acute and subacute neck pain. The methods of care that were studied included chiropractic treatment, home exercise advice and care, and prescription medication. The study concluded that neck pain sufferers reported the most satisfaction with chiropractic. Home exercise advice was also associated with increased patient satisfaction over drug treatment.
I have now been a practicing doctor of chiropractic for over 40 years and this is what I would tell you if you came to me for advice regarding the treatment of back pain and neck pain: “Your body has a profound, miraculous, and unbelievable ability to heal and repair. Healing comes from within. Healing does not come from a pill or drug. Your nervous system controls and coordinates every cell, tissue, and organ of your body. If a chiropractor can improve the structure (alignment) of the spine, your body will then experience decreased pain, along with an increased ability for your body to repair and function.”
A chiropractor will treat the cause of your back pain; drugs only treat the symptoms. Consult with an excellent chiropractor before you discount any possibility of getting help from their unique approach to spinal care. You don’t have anything to lose except the pain you are experiencing.
Dr. Craig Brue is an author, lecturer, and chiropractic provider in SaddleBrooke. You can learn more about the benefits of chiropractic care by visiting bruechiropractic.com.