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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Many times back pain is a mystery to the majority of people who experience it, and chiropractors are proficient at solving that mystery. Sufferers want to know why it is that they have not experienced any trauma, accidents, or major injuries before the onset of their problem? The answer is that the cumulative effects of improper sitting posture, bad work habits, improper lifting, lack of regular exercise, and other unhealthy lifestyle-related factors cause most back pain. These factors add up over time and create stresses and imbalances on the spine producing subluxations that can become serious back conditions. The process is similar to the front end of your car being out of alignment. When you persist in driving anyway, there is unbalanced wear and tear on your tires. If you don’t get the problem fixed, the situation could worsen until a tire “blows.” The stability of the spine is jeopardized when your spine is misaligned. In other words, it’s not only a problem waiting to happen, it’s a problem waiting to get worse. And then, something as effortless as bending over to pick up a piece of paper can be the “final factor” that produces back injury. The surrounding back muscles go into spasm when thishappens to protect the stressed or injured tissues of the back.

When it comes to problems of the spine, chiropractors have more education, training, and experience than medical doctors. They offer expert diagnosis and experienced treatment for all muscular-skeletal abnormalities. They not only offer welcomed relief to those suffering from back pain, but they are knowledgeable about what will help you to avoid further back pain. Concurrent with effectual adjustments and other productive chiropractic therapies, your chiropractor will give you an individual exercise plan and recommend additional beneficial lifestyle changes that will keep you well-adjusted and pain-free in the future.

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When the body is looked at from behind, a normal spine is straight without much disparity from laterally. However, if the spine is viewed to have a lateral, or side-to-side, curvature, the patient might have a disorder called scoliosis.This disorder many times gives the appearance of the patient leaning to one side although it should not be confused with poor posture. Characterized by both lateral curvature and rotation of the vertebra, this troublesome deformity frequently produces a characteristic “rib hump” in the mid or thoracic spine. This is caused by the vertebrae in the region of the major curve rotating toward the concavity and pushing their fastened ribs posterior thus producing the symptomatic rib hump seen in thoracic scoliosis. If the thoracic curve and rib rotation are severe, more than 70 degrees, pulmonary and cardiac function can be interfered with. Often later in life in untreated severe idiopathic infantile and juvenile scoliosis patients, this degree of curve and resulting cardiac and pulmonary changes can be life threatening.

Anatomy

The spine discloses four normal curves: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral, all of which are obvious from a side view of the trunk. In the lower spine there is a normal “C-shaped” curve called swayback or lordosis, while the thoracic curve in the chest vicinity has a “reverse C” called a kyphosis. Hyperlordosis is the term used to describe elevated swayback, while increased kyphosis in the thoracic spine is called hyperkyphosis. Alterations from normal that are visible from a side view regularly accompany scoliosis changes. Occasionally round back deformities are simply due to poor posture and can often be corrected with postural exercises. A small portion of people with kyphosis have more rigid deformities than the postural type, which are associated with vertebral deformity. This kind of deformity, called Scheuermann’s kyphosis, is much more difficult to treat than postural kyphosis, and it’s cause is unknown.

Almost anyone can help to identify a child or fully-grown individual with scoliosis simply by viewing the person in a standing position, preferably bare-chested and in shorts, and observing the following:

• One shoulder may be raised than the other.

• One scapula (shoulder blade) may be more elevated or more prominent than the other.

• With the arms hanging relaxed at the sides, there may be more space between the arm and the body on one side.

• One hip may seem to be more elevated or more pronounced than the other.

• The head is not aligned with the pelvis.

• When the person is viewed from the rear and asked to flex forward until the spine is horizontal, one side of the back appears higher than the other.

The child or adult should be sent to a healthcare professional, such as a chiropractor, for further evaluation once scoliosis is identified. your chiropractor would be happy to help.

There are many different roots and many kinds of scoliosis, nevertheless the most prevalent, by far, is Idiopathic Scoliosis, which accounts for about 85 % of all cases. “Idiopathic” means “no known cause” and is witnessed with equal prevalence in boys and girls in the mild or low curve magnitudes. This disorder can be sub-classified into infantile, juvenile and adolescent categories, contingent upon the age of onset. Idiopathic Scoliosis often runs in families and may be due to genetic or hereditary influences. Though it is unknown why, girls are five to eight times more likely than boys to have their curves develop in size and require treatment. As the term “Idiopathic Scoliosis” implies, this kind of scoliosis more often than not occurs when children are finishing their last major growth spurt. Unfortunately, at this age young people are hesitant to let their body to be seen by parents and other adults, so it is smart to have this age group viewed on a regular basis.

If a scoliotic curve is observed in the growing adolescent, it is crucial that the curves be monitored for change by periodic examination and sometimes standing X-rays. In ninety percent of instances, the scoliosis is mild and does not require active treatment, though| increases in spinal deformity require evaluation to determine if a brace or other therapy is required. In a small number of patients, surgical treatment may be required.~Surgery may be needed for a small number of people.

Brace support (orthosis) is recommended for both juvenile and adolescent children when an increase in their scoliosis or kyphosis is observed, or when new conditions of moderate scoliosis or abnormal kyphosis are diagnosed. There are a number of kinds of braces, all made to prevent curves from increasing through the process of acting as a buttress for the spine during active skeletal growth. Braces generally won’t make the spine perfectly straight, and cannot always keep a curve from increasing. But, bracing is effectual in halting curve progression in an impressive number of skeletally-immature adolescents.

There is no simple solution for scoliosis. Most cases, even though frequently monitored, are not actively treated. The usual medical treatment for moderate cases is a brace, whereas severe cases in some cases are treated surgically. You may want to see your local chiropractor first.

Specialized exercise, electric stimulation of spinal muscles, nutritional programs, and chiropractic treatments are among a number of modalities offered in addition to bracing. It looks as if the best results have been supported with a multi-faceted approach to the treatment of this abnormality.

There are chiropractors, that have expertise assisting with scoliosis conditions.

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