Back pain is both one of the most common reasons for a person to go to the doctor and one of the most common reasons for a physician to write a script for highly-addictive pain medications. Because of this, researchers are constantly on the lookout for alternative ways to get relief for low, middle, and upper back pain. One of the methods recently addressed in the Journal of the American Medical Association is spinal manipulation, a procedure performed by chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and other healthcare practitioners.
The studies involved a total of 26 types of research that included over 1,700 back pain patients. In each case, the studies measured back pain on a scale of 0 to 10. After spinal manipulation, the average decline in pain was one point.
While that may seem like a modest improvement, over-the-counter pain reliever provide the same average relief. Plus, most methods of spinal manipulation do not have the same kind of side effects as medications.
Let’s take a look at one particular form of spinal manipulation, a subspecialty of chiropractic called upper cervical chiropractic.
It may seem counterintuitive to work on the top two bones in the neck in order to care for lower back pain. However, spinal health is a top-down process. Making sure the top two bones are in proper alignment balances the head. This removes unnecessary strain from the entire back, including the lumbar vertebrae.
Upper cervical adjustments are far more gentle than general chiropractic, and this is appealing to many people. Rather than having the spine twisted and popped, upper cervical care relies on low force corrections that help the bones to move back into place gently. This leads to long-lasting corrections that give the rest of the spine time to heal.
If you are suffering from back pain, contact an upper cervical chiropractor near you to learn if a gentle adjustment may be able to provide you with some of the relief you have been searching for without the side effects of pills.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
