Etherton Chiropractic

LOW BACK PAIN

When you hear the word chiropractic do you think of care for back and neck complaints? Many people do and yet the world's first chiropractic patient (1895) was deaf and recovered his hearing after a chiropractic spinal adjustment. The world's second chiropractic patient was relieved of a heart condition. Thousands soon praised chiropractic for saving them from headaches, colds, allergies, asthma, sciatica, arthritis, seizures, ear infections, stomach trouble, gynecological problems and many other conditions including back pain.

Low Back Pain

Low back pain is very, very common. About 85% of the population will experience disabling low back pain at least once during their lives! That's almost all of us. The problem is so bad that, according to one researcher, at any given time 6.8% of the US adult population is suffering from an episode of back pain lasting more than two weeks. That's a lot of bad backs. The estimated cost ofthe problem in the US is over $50 billion a year.

Do Medical Treatment and Surgery Help?

The medical approach is at times necessary -- even back surgery has a place. But research is revealing that spinal surgery for acute lower back problems should rarely be performed. Many of those who have had back surgery report a recurrence of their symptoms within a year or two of the operation and may return to the operating table. Spinal surgery is currently a very controversal (and costly) approach to low back pain: Over time, most patients with disc herniations recover iwth or without surgery, so that outcomes after five years are similar when surgical and non-surgical approached are compared...In the end, the decision to operate on a patient with a lumbar disc herniation usually depends on patient preference rather than necessity.

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractors have helped millions of people with loc back problems, often saving them from pain, disability, drugs and surgery. The chiropractor's purpose is to gently and painlessly rebalance and realign your spine to relieve pressure on your nerves, discs and muscles. Chiropractors have a special term for an area of your spine that is not properly alignes and is causing nerve stress: vertebral subluxation.

Anyone suffering from a back problem should see a chiropractor to have their spine checked for vertebral subluxations. If they are present, then the chiropractor will gently and painlessly correct the subluxation and release stress on spinal nerves, meninges, discs and vertebrae.

If a subluxation exists in your body it must be corrected. This could make the difference between a life of ease, health and comfort or a life of pain, disease and disability.

Major government studies from the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, have reaffirmed what chirorpactic patients have been telling their friends with back pain for years: Why don't you see my chiropactor? You'll get better much faster than from drugs or surgery--and it's safer too. For example: On the evidence, particularly the most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinal manipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain.

The Commission has found it established beyond any reasonable degree of doubt that chiropractors have a more thorough training in spinal mechanics and spinal manual therapy than any other health professional.

There is therefore, economic support for the use of chirorpactic in low back pain... The benefit of chiropractic treatment became more evident throughout the follow-up period... Chiropractic was particularly effective in those with fairly intractable pain--that is, those with a history of severe pain... The percentage of chiropractic patients who were 'very satisfied' with the care they received for low back pain was triple that for patients of family physicians.

Why are the results so overwhelming in favor of chiropractic? Because painkillers, muscle relaxers, Valium,™ braces, physical therapy and surgery are not designed to correct vertebral subluxations. Chirorpactic is!

More Than Low Back Pain

For over a hundred years people with all kinds of health conditions have visited their doctors of chiropractic. Many have initially come for back pain, but then dicovered so many other ways chiropractic spinal care can help them and their family.

The goal of chiropractic is to free your body from subluxations, permitting realigning of your entire spinal column and releasing pressure on your nerves so your entire body may function at its optimum.