Why Chiropractic?
Chiropractic is the most prevalent form of alternative health care in the world and the third largest doctoral-level health care profession after medicine and dentistry. Last year more than 30 million Americans visited Doctors of Chiropractic for a variety of conditions.
Chiropractic deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health. Spinal manipulation or adjustment is the primary treatment modality.
The Origin and History of Chiropractic
The roots of chiropractic care can be traced to writings from China and Greece in 2700 B.C. and 1500 B.C., which mention spinal manipulation and the maneuvering of the lower extremities to ease low back pain. Hippocrates, the Greek physician who lived from 460 to 357 B.C., wrote, “Get knowledge of the spine, for this is the requisite for many diseases”.
In 1895, Daniel David Palmer founded the chiropractic profession in Davenport, Iowa and in 1897 established the Palmer School of Chiropractic, which has continued to be one of the most prominent chiropractic colleges in the nation.
Throughout the twentieth century, Doctors of Chiropractic gained legal recognition in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. A continuing recognition and respect for the chiropractic profession in the United States has led to growing support for chiropractic care all over the world.
Evidence for the Effectiveness of Chiropractic
Research has shown numerous benefits of chiropractic in terms of efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and safety.
The forte of chiropractic care is in relieving back pain. Thirty-one million Americans have low back pain at any given time, and it has been estimated that 80% of us will experience a back problem at some point in our lives. One half of all working Americans have back symptoms each year and one third of all Americans over age 18 have had a back problem in the past five years severe enough for them to seek professional help. The cost of this care is around $50 billion yearly.
For acute low-back symptoms without radiculopathy, it was reported in Clinical Practice Guidelines, AHCPR (1994) that spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and speeding recovery within the first month of symptoms. For chronic low-back problems a study published in the journal Spine in 1997 reported that manipulation is more effective than placebo treatment or usual care by the general practitioner, bed rest, analgesics or massage. Studies reported in the British Medical Journal in 1992 and 1995 reported that manipulative therapy and physiotherapy are better than general medical and placebo treatment for relief of low back pain and that manipulative therapy is slightly better than physiotherapy after 12 months.
By:
Michael Simone, D.C.
via National Directory of Chiropractic.
For Your Health,
Dr. Mat Pastore