Chiropractors and low back pain

Baseline Posture Grid Features of the Baseline Posture Grid: Use to evaluate posture. The plastic posture grid (25″?x48″?) can be suspended from the ceiling or wall bracket. Set includes a suspension cord and a plumb bob to measure alignment.

I don’t know how many of you have heard of chiropractors. They are complementary and alternative health care practitioners who use their hands to manipulate your spine, with the purpose of healing some diseases such as asthma, allergy, dizziness or low back pain. The chiropractic profession is accredited in many countries, and there are a lot of chiropractic schools almost everywhere in the world.

For those who have graduated such schools, and open their own chiropractic cabinets, there are specialized chiropractic software programs which can help them in their current practice. I have no idea if such medical services are covered by common health insurance contracts, but you might ask your insurance company about that.

Chiropractic Perspectives That Reflect a Holistic Approach to Patient Care

• noninvasive, emphasizes patient’s inherent recuperative abilities
• recognizes dynamics between lifestyle, environment, and health
• emphasizes understanding the cause of illness in an effort to eradicate, rather than palliate, associated symptoms
• recognizes the centrality of the nervous system and its intimate relationship with both the structural and regulatory capacities of the body
• appreciates the multifactorial nature of influences (structural, chemical, and psychological) on the nervous system
• balances the benefits against the risks of clinical interventions
• recognizes as imperative the need to monitor progress and effectiveness through appropriate diagnostic procedures
• prevents unnecessary barriers in the doctor-patient encounter
• emphasizes a patient-centered, hands-on approach intent on influencing function through structure
• strives toward early intervention, emphasizing timely diagnosis and treatment of functional, reversible conditions

Source: AHCPR Chapter 2 Chiropractic Belief Systems, Robert D. Mootz DC; Reed B. Phillips DC, PhD

Although these principles sound good, not all people agree with this kind of practice, as they see many dangers in manipulating the bones. Indeed, it is very easy to damage the nerves, so those who seek chiropractic treatment for their ailments should be very careful in selecting the best chiropractor.

I wrote this post because I suffer from low back pain since 15 years ago, I don’t want to go through surgery, and I would be happy to hear opinions from people who considered going to chiropractors to treat such ailments.

I don’t know what happened, but I’m just feeling better now, at one year distance from publishing this post. I cannot perform hula hoop exercises, but I surely can walk and move around without any pain. And all I did was to buy a new mattress. I haven’t gone to any chiropractor.