A 2012 study by the American Pain Society estimated that chronic back pain costs the U.S. Economy up to $ 635 BILLION dollars per year. And this is only for chronic back pain. Acute back pain (pain that occurs immediately post-injury, or a “flare up”) accounts for even more lost wages and economic damage.
Chiropractic is part of the solution to this problem, providing pain relief and healing to patients suffering from low back pain and many other conditions.
Certainly some conditions need to be treated surgically, medically, or with a combination of disciplines and therapies. However, each medical discipline and treatment has its place and conservative care should always be tried before surgical intervention.
Many people are under the mistaken impression that traditional medicine and chiropractic are at odds with each other. In fact, both disciplines recognize the contribution of the other, and patient-centered practices are quite willing and able to work together for the good of mutual patients.
JAMA’s (the Journal of the American Medical Association) “Patient Page” on April 24, 2013 advises that some patients can benefit from chiropractic care and states that “Surgery is not usually needed but may be considered if other therapies have failed.”
In my own case, I was a medical patient/surgical candidate before I was a chiropractor and before I was a chiropractic patient. I was in severe, unrelenting pain and was already scheduled for low back surgery when I decided to see a chiropractor. Chiropractic worked for me. I followed the treatment plan, followed up with my doctors, worked hard at getting well and avoided surgery. Once I saw what chiropractic was capable of, I decided to change careers. I had a science background already, and chiropractic made sense based on everything that I had learned. My decision is affirmed every time I see a patient improve under chiropractic care and I am proud to have chosen this as my life’s work.
Dr. Greg Alexander
Alexander Chiropractic- Spring Texas 281-376-2225
www.alexchiro.com
