The other day, the news services were mirroring each other, reporting that only 10 percent of the treatments for acute lower back pain work. In the world of chiropractic, patients often get better faster and avoid unnecessary tests, medications and procedures. The idea of holistic, whole-person care is often seen as heretical by mainstream medicine, even though chiropractors are mainstream healthcare providers who add value to the system. The problem with back and neck pain is that one-size-fits-all care has proven not to work. The paper in the BMJ compared treatments for back pain instead of evaluating the mechanisms for back pain, which can be different for all of us. Perhaps, this is why only 10% of the treatments for back pain succeed in helping those in pain. Men and women are anatomically different and our body mechanics can predispose us to back and neck pain later in life. As doctors, most of us know the similarities between us, but can we understand the differences when it is standing in front of us during an examination? Visualizing our body mechanics as if we are all the same, regardless of our anatomical differences is ridiculous. Years ago, when I began practice, women had knee replacements that were huge before they began to design anatomically correct prosthetics years later. Over time, the medical profession adapted. Understanding why someone hurts requires understanding the reason they hurt. This differs from the current one-size-fits-all paradigm that most medical providers continue to work within which treats the pain instead of the mechanism behind it. Those mechanisms are unique to us, our health histories, our genetics, our adaptations, our activity; you get the idea. Whether the Annals of Internal Medicine in February of 2017 or this article from the BMJ, back pain is a problem with how we move and function. Chiropractic and its heretical ideas got results with back and neck problems naturally, while the medical model failed or worsened the conditions they treated with injections, medications, or medical procedures. I am proud to be a heretic and get results without the use of drugs or surgery. Now, with the recent study from the BMJ, more evidence exists supporting chiropractic and the idea of seeing the chiropractor first for back pain and many other musculoskeletal problems that are caused by issues with how we move and function. One size fits all does not relieve back pain. One size fits all healthcare care is everywhere. You visit urgent care, they give you a cocktail that often doesn’t work. You visit the ER and then are injected with Toradol into your painful back. Your pain may ease but the original cause of why you hurt may later result in that painful neck, shoulder, knee, feet or hip. They are interested in relieving pain rather than solving why you hurt. Physical therapy offers one-size-fits-all protocols for strengthening and mobilizing, yet, do the one-size-fits-all protocols functionally improve it? Patients can spend months in this type of care without a marked improvement in the mechanism behind why you hurt. Recently, a patient who has had back pain since she was young visited me and was unable to move her neck and felt pain in her shoulders and arms. My evaluation revealed that the problem began with her flat feet. She was given foot orthotics to level her hips, and she had no idea her pelvis and the upper body were in any way related. After her second visit, where the neck and mid back pain improved with proper management of her lower back, she understood why her now chronic lower back issue which was never properly cared for resulted in her painful and stiff neck. Follow the science; Chiropractic first for neck and back problems. Chiropractic management of musculoskeletal conditions has shown the highest satisfaction rates for treating back pain and many other conditions in publications such as Consumer Reports and Men’s Health magazines. Chiropractic sports physicians such as myself often have lines of people waiting to see us at athletic events to have their problems evaluated and possibly treated. The reason is simple, the chiropractor improves performance and the athlete performs better because they move better. A much younger Dr. Charschan working a track and field event. The holistic approach chiropractors use is simple, and thorough and asks the right questions about your current and past complaints, followed by a functional evaluation leading to better diagnosis and treatment. When doctors don’t know they test. Chiropractors will also order an MRI if needed however, when more patients improve and resolve their problems, they order fewer tests. Managing patient expectations and helping them understand why they hurt helps too, because the idea that they just need an injection or a medication has been long proven to be wrong. Opioids was bad musculoskeletal and pain management of epic proportions. There is always a new drug, but ultimately, failing to properly diagnose and treat the reason for the pain results in worsening pain years later, disability and many co-morbidities that are avoidable had you cared for the person properly the first time. There are still many people who have never visited a chiropractor for the first time, often because of a failure to be referred by their primary doctor or their orthopedic provider. Some stay away out of fear or one bad experience, yet, finding the next chiropractor may be just what the doctor ordered to help you help yourself. Most insurance carriers cover chiropractic care. Seeing them first, as Optum Healthcare, a division of United Healthcare discovered, chiropractors had saved them millions. They also help patients avoid chronic lower back problems by treating the mechanism behind why they hurt. If you have avoided visiting a chiropractor before now, chiropractic care is a safe, effective, and cost-effective provider of healthcare. Just like any other doctor, do your research and find the best chiropractors or chiropractic sports injury providers. Why choose us? Our office is unique in that we are not only holistic in our approach to care, but our office is fully hands-on in our ways of diagnosis and treatment. We use treat-test-treat protocols to fully evaluate the effectiveness of each office visit. Approaching back and neck pain is still heretical according to many doctors and patients who have avoided chiropractic. The good news is the data and science show us heretics get results since mechanical problems require mechanical solutions. Our approach is simple, A thorough history and exam and same-day treatment. X-rays if needed Myofascial release to improve mobility as well as Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue treatment. Exercises Foot orthotics if needed to balance the pelvis. Treadmill evaluations to troubleshoot running and gait-related issues. A no-nonsense approach to pain relief. The doctor that sees you is the doctor that treats you. Need help now? Book online today.