The survey, reported in the publication’s May 2009 issue, found that more than half of the respondents had “pain (that) severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer, and 88 percent said it recurred throughout the year.” The report stated that while many go to a primary care physician first for diagnosis and treatment, the majority were disappointed with the results.

On the other hand, 59 percent reported that they were “highly satisfied” with the care they received from chiropractors. The next highest rated practitioners were physical therapists (55 percent) and acupuncturists (53 percent), followed by “specialized” physicians (44 percent) and primary care physicians (34 percent).

Respondents were also asked to rate the types of treatments they received. Again, chiropractic/spinal manipulation got top honors, with 58 percent rating it as “helping a lot.” Spinal injections were next highest, rated at 51 percent, followed by massage (48 percent) and physical therapy (46 percent). Other highly rated treatments included prescription medications (45 percent), yoga (44 percent), movement therapy and acupuncture (both 41 percent).

According to a Dynamic Chiropractic article on that report, “Chiropractic ranked first out of 11 treatments, including massage, acupuncture, and exercise, in its ability to treat back pain. More readers said that chiropractic ‘helped me feel much better’ than any of the other therapies.” Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs ranked eighth and 10th, respectively.

So, if you’ve been “highly satisfied” with your chiropractic care, you’re not alone! In fact, more and more people are turning to chiropractic treatment not only for back pain relief, but for a wide variety of painful conditions from sports and repetitive stress injuries to arthritis.

A public version of the report can be found on the Consumer Reports Web site

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Most men and women who are overweight experience moderate to severe back pain. The reason for this is because the spine was not designed to haul anything that is more substantial in weight than the body is at its naturally healthy weight.  As an individual puts on additional weight, the spine begins to distort and to compress, creating a lot of pain and discomfort.  The pelvis can also be affected and become tilted forward forcing it to pinch the sciatic nerve. This is a major reason why people who are overweight tend to have challenges with their lower back. The pain is due to either sciatica or the distorting of the spinal column.

If this problem sounds painfully familiar, and you want to get out pain, certainly the thing to do is to discard extra weight that you are toting around, and your spine will start to regulate and return to its regular position.  Unfortunately, losing weight is hard and it can take time, even with the best of intentions. But, luckily you don’t have to endure back pain as you lose the weight. A chiropractor can offer the pain relief you’ll require to help you as you shed the extra pounds.

But, you will still need to lose the extra weight, and not having back pain will actually assist you in doing it. Two things that are simple (but not necessarily easy), but will be highly beneficial to you in losing the extra weight naturally are being sure to get some sort of exercise, even if it’s just a little bit per day, and modifying the food you eat so that you are taking in fewer calories than you are using throughout the day. Sure, you’ve heard about these two things before. Nonetheless, now that you’re aware your back is depending on you, it’s the perfect time to get truly galvanized for success.

Start exercising slowly, particular if you’re having challenges with back pain. And, most importantly, be sure to seek out some chiropractic care so that you don’t make the mistake that many people do, which is exercising into the pain. That will only make your problem worse. Exercise, though sometimes uncomfortable, should never be painful or cause pain. That’s why seeing a chiropractor is important if you’re suffering from back pain.

Do basic stretching exercises and also concentrate on your core abdominal body muscles. Strong stomach muscles assisting in relieving back pain. Your chiropractor will be able to provide exercises that are best for you, personally. Within just a week or two of dedication to losing the weight that is producing your back pain and perhaps other health problems as well, you ought to begin to notice an enormous difference in the way that you feel.

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Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been essential to traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.  It is earning popularity in other parts of the world and for an excellent reason: A vast number of people have undergone relief from their back pain and many other health challenges by visiting an acupuncturist on a regular basis.  According to traditional Chinese acupuncture therapy, small needles are inserted into the body at precise points that are said to affect various areas of the body.  Customarily, only the needles are used, but at times and in particular in recent years, small electrical currents are passed through the needles into the body.  Even though it may seem as if it would hurt, it hardly ever does and, actually, many people experience relaxation and pleasurable sensations whenever they are undergoing acupuncture treatments.

Chiropractic

A chiropractor, also called a doctor of chiropractic, has been helping individuals suffering from back pain and other problems for over a hundred years. A chiropractor cares for individuals who are in pain due to musculoskeletal and nervous system problems. Chiropractic medicine attends to the misalignments of the vertebral column that inhibit the capacity of the nervous system. These misaligned vertebra can lessen resistance and immunity, thus creating new health problems. A proficient chiropractor has superior observational and diagnostic skills that assist in discovering physical irregularities and joint complications. Many chiropractors perform neurological tests and orthopedic checks. Some will analyze the posture of an individual as a way of identifying postural deviations, and in addition may study an individual’s gait to pinpoint faulty movement patterns. Chiropractic management non-invasive, drug-free treatment and in addtion will offer advice and provide education concerning the benefits of individual lifestyle changes, such as in exercise and nutrition.

So, if you have back pain, headaches, neck pain, hip pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, balance challenges, or arthritis, and you’ve tried a number of other things and and you’re still suffering, it could be time for you to try chiropractic and acupuncture.  The only way that you’re going to be able to tell is to go in to see a good chiropractor or acupuncturist, and to allow them to explain to you definitively what they are going to be able to do for you.  More than likely you will experience some relief from your problem even after only one visit.  With successive visits, you will continue to make improvements, and you might just discover that these natural treatments work best for your back pain.

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