The above headline comes from an October 10, 2010 article on the website Health Reform. The article, by Stephen Kelly, starts off by saying, “Research has shown that chiropractic care provides greater improvement and satisfaction to patients with chronic lower back pain. Patients who have been taking medicinal help have reported their back pain to be worse or much worse, whereas chiropractic patients felt more satisfied and their back pain was much better.”
The article is a general overview of chiropractic care as it relates to back and musculoskeletal health problems. The author discusses how back pain creates problems in daily life including disruption of sleep. He points out that not only the sleep of the victim is affected, but also that of the whole family. Kelly then offers some comfort by saying, “The good news is you can again sleep peacefully like a baby.”
In his lay-person description of chiropractic, Kelly says, “Spinal manipulation and chiropractic care is a safe, effective treatment for acute lower back pain.” He also reported that, “Not only does chiropractic care improve your spinal pain, but it can also bring relief to those killing headaches. Spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches.”
Dr. Gary Walsemann, president of the International Chiropractors Association noted that many articles use terminology that is not entirely accurate when describing chiropractic. Dr. Walsemann noted, “Chiropractors have maintained that they are correcting the underlying cause of health problems and not directly treating them. In response many authors describe chiropractic in terms that suggest chiropractic is a treatment for certain health issues.” Dr. Walsemann continued by clarifying, Chiropractors do not treat conditions directly, we also do not manipulate, we deliver specific chiropractic adjustments to the spine to correct nerve system interference caused by spinal subluxations. As nerve interference is corrected, the body’s own innate healing abilities correct the person’s health issues and help return that person to good health.”
In the conclusion of his article, Kelly noted other reasons “Why Chiropractic Care Might Be a Better Option for Your Back Pain”. He concluded, “Furthermore, chiropractic care is a more cost-effective option because it eliminates the pain, and improves the sleep cycle in much lesser time than conventional medicines or other alternative methods. Patients receiving manipulative treatment have shown better sleep patterns and fewer absences from work”.