Have you or someone you know had debilitating lower back pain?  I recently saw a patient, a doctor in San Francisco, who hurt his back while playing water sports.  He said his back keeps going into spasm when he is working, and said he can’t be hindered by this because he needs to be able to treat his patients.

Lower back pain is one of the most common reasons people visit their primary care physician.  However, most primary care physicians are not trained to handle the most common reasons for lower back pain.  They are neuro-musculoskeletal problems.  Chiropractors are acknowledged by government sponsored studies for providing the most cost-effective care for neck and lower back pain from neuro-musculoskeletal problems.  These studies also recommend chiropractic treatment as the most effective method of treatment for neck and lower back pain for faster relief and less down time, compared to physical therapy and medications.  However, current research studies show that only about 8 to 10 percent of the U.S. population has ever been to a chiropractor.

Had this patient gone to a primary care physician for his back pain, he likely would’ve gotten a prescription for muscle relaxants and pain killers.  The side effects of most of these medications include drowsiness.  This can be dangerous, and in some cases, impossible for an individual to work.  In the case of this patient, concentration and attention to detail are required for treating his own patients.

The primary care physician might order some imaging service, such as xray, for further diagnosis.  The result of the imaging may not be available within the same visit, so the patient has to return a few days later to find out the treatment plan or doctor’s recommendation.

For the case of this patient, and most patients in a chiropractor’s clinic, they get complete diagnosis and treatment on the same visit.

In this particular case, after taking this patient’s medical history and doing an exam, I had him lay face down on a comfortably padded chiropractic table and checked the mobility of his pelvis and spinal joints.  After massaging some of the key areas, I found the muscles that were in spasm.  With some muscle relaxation techniques, I performed a chiropractic adjustment on his neck, mid-back, feet, and left hip.  He got up from the table almost completely pain free.

Now this may seem to good to be true for those of you who have never been to a chiropractor.  This case is common in chiropractic offices.  As a chiropractor for many years, I am often reminded of how many people are completely unaware of the safety and remarkable effectiveness of chiropractic care when someone new to chiropractic walks in the office in pain, and then walks out significantly better.  There are so many people suffering unnecessarily from acute and prolonged chronic lower back pain and neck pain that need to put their skepticism aside and see a chiropractor.