Back to Basics with Chiropractic Practice

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Although chiropractic has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, the practice still has a dubious reputation in some quarters.  However, a study in the British Medical Journal may help straighten thing out.  Research conducted at Northwick Park Hospital, in Harrow, England, concluded that chiropractic methods were more effective than was standard medical care in the treatment of common back pain.  The study observed 741 patients whose low-back pain had no obvious cause—such as a tumor, a spinal abnormality, or a slipped-disc – who were being treated either by a chiropractor or in a hospital outpatient clinic.  Those treated by chiropractic manipulation (vigorous movements to realign the spine, muscles and ligaments) had significantly less pain , lost less time from work and needed fewer  return visits during the two-year study than did those treated in clinics.  The chiropractic advantage was most marked for patients whose pain had lingered longest and was most severe, says researcher Dr. T.W. Meade.  This treatment can sometimes backfire – such as those in which pain down the leg suggests pressure on a nerve – can be aggravated by manipulation.