It seems like this debate has been going on for decades. Alternate therapies are given negative labels, called ineffective because of a lack of medical studies and data affordable by a well financed, powerful and very aggressive medical industry.
Low back pain is horrible. It is the leading cause of functional disability in the United States. It affects 80% of population, is a top cause of hospitalizations and the health industry spends billions of dollars in surgeries and prolonged medical care… and now their own journals are suggesting you Seek “alternative” Chiropractic care to medical care for back pain. Acetaminophen doesn’t work after years they said it did. Opioids for pain is not a solution. Surgeries help in some cases but the success rate long term is 50%. They still suggest NSAIDS, Advil, but inflammation is not the problem, what causes the inflammation is the true issue and it returns the moment medication is discontinued.
Most back pain is mechanical in nature, called a Chiropractic Subluxation, which we treat as Chiropractors. Yes other therapies like exercise, massage and acupuncture can be helpful. It should be directed by your Doctor of Chiropractic once the appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan have been formulated.
This is not the first study that has demonstrated these results. They have been coming out for the last 26 years of my practice life on the success of Chiropractic and back pain. Several years ago a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported similar findings and actually suggested to primary care physicians that they should refer to Doctors of Chiropractic before other invasive procedures are initiated.
So perhaps in the future we should discuss medication and surgery as “Alternative” Therapies for back Pain.
So when suffering from back and or neck pain your first Doctor should be a Doctor of Chiropractic. It is safer and more effective.
This is a win for the Patients, not for Chiropractic.