by Dr. Scott J. Heun

Clearly 80% of people some time in their life will experience acute and severe lower back pain that causes them to miss work or playtime and robs them of the one thing you cannot have more of, time. At this very moment thousands of people are in bed with back pain. This condition alone costs you the taxpayer, millions of dollars per year in lost work, compensation, and medical bills.

Here are the facts about the chiropractic option for dealing with this most debilitating problem:

The Manga Report
 

The Manga Report, commissioned by the Ministry of Health in Ontario and carried out by leading independent health economists at the University of Ottawa, led by Pran Manga, Ph.D., reviewed all of the international evidence on the management of low back pain. It concluded:
 

*There would be highly significant cost savings if more management of low-back pain was transferred from physicians to chiropractors;
 

*There should be a "shift in policy to encourage and prefer chiropractic services for most patients with low-back pain," and chiropractic should be "fully insured (and) fully integrated" into the Ontario health care system.
 

*"The overwhelming body of evidence" shows that chiropractic management of low-back pain is more cost effective than medical management, and that "many medical therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly inadequate..."Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low-back pain."
 

*"Chiropractic management is greatly superior to medical management in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction."

"The literature suggests that chiropractic management of low back pain is more effective, more cost-effective, and safer than medical management. Furthermore, there is greater patient satisfaction with chiropractic care than with medical management of low back pain."
Pran Manga, Ph.D.
Douglas E. Angus, M.A.
William R. Swan, B. Comm.

"The literature suggests that chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain, perhaps contrary to popular impressions. There are no clinical or case-control studies that demonstrate or even imply that chiropractic spinal manipulation is unsafe in the treatment of low back pain."
Pran Manga, Ph.D.
Douglas E. Angus, M.A.
William R. Swan, B. Comm.

The Rand Study

The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive set of indications for performing spinal manipulation for persons with low back pain. The project conducted by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit private corporation in Santa Monica, California which conducts research and development for the US Government and the private sector, commands international respect.
The project was directed by two medical doctors, Robert Brook, MD, and Paul Shekelle, MD, and involved two expert panels of clinicians and researchers to assess the clinical consensus on the appropriateness of spinal manipulation for more than 1600 patients with back pain conditions.

The results of the study were:
 

* Acute and sub-acute mechanical back pain patients given spinal manipulation achieve better early results than patients given common medical treatments (bedrest, medication, traction, corsets).
 

* 50% of the patients treated by manipulation were free of pain after one week, compared to 27% treated with bedrest.
 

* Manipulation proved better for pain relief than the use of physiotherapy and analgesics.
 

* Pain was relieved by manipulation in a shorter time (3.5 treatments) than by exercise (5.8 treatments).
 

*Patients with pain of 2 to 3 weeks duration achieved a 50% reduction in pain more rapidly with manipulation than with mobilization.
 

*Patients treated by manipulation improved significantly faster than those treated with medicine.
 

* Manipulation provides earlier relief than other treatments or no treatment.


British Medical Research Council Study

The British Medical Research Council conducted a 10 year, multi-center trial comparing chiropractic and hospital outpatient management of 741 patients with acute and chronic mechanical low back pain. Results of the study were reported in the June 2, 1990, issue of The British Medical Journal, and concluded the following:

*Chiropractic treatment was significantly more effective, particularly for patients with chronic and severe pain.
 

*Results were long-term--"the benefit of chiropractic treatment became more evident throughout the follow-up period of two years.
 

*The superior results for chiropractic patients were not result of trial errors or placebo.
 

*"The potential economic, resource, and policy implications of our results are extensive. Consideration should be given to providing chiropractic within the National Health Service, either in hospitals, or by purchasing chiropractic treatment from existing clinics."
 

*An economic analysis, which appears conservative and uses patient numbers reported in 1979, shows savings in excess of 10 million pounds per annum in Britain by having hospital outpatients with back pain treated by chiropractors.
 

*The study provides very considerable support of the New Zealand Commission's findings.

State of California Industrial Back Injury Study

In 1972 Richard Wolf, MD, questioned 1000 patients about work time loss and residual pain, and 629 patients responded, of which half were medically treated and the other half were treated by chiropractic.
Average Days Lost 60 Days Lost No Time Lost
Under Chiropractic Care 15.6 6.7% 47.9%
Under Medical Care 32.0 13.2% 21.0%

Conclusion of study:
Patient time loss was cut in half under chiropractic care compared to medical care in all three categories. Chiropractic effectiveness is two to one better over medical care in these types of ailments.

Nevada Workers' Compensation Study

* For the three year period ending in 1990, the average medical cost per patient ($2142) was 260% higher than the average chiropractic case ($892).
 

* Injured workers are often able to continue working while receiving chiropractic treatments. This may not be the case with standard medical treatment protocol of bed rest and medication.
 

* Chiropractic eliminated the concern of unnecessary surgery, inappropriate hospitalization, improper use of medication and the high frequency of narcotic analgesics.

Although study after study provides evidence that Chiropractic is safe, effective and also affordable, many people are still unaware of the Chiropractic approach to this serious problem. In my office, we start with a complete medical history, simply a series of questions about you and your body designed to uncover any "hidden" problems that may be connected to your main complaint. Next, a very thorough postural examination is performed to accurately analyze your overall body alignment. This is followed by standard tests to see how your spine moves, and what effect different movements have on both your spine and your pain level. Next your reflexes, your muscle strength and your ability to feel various types of touch are often performed. Your blood pressure, pulse, height and weight are also recorded.
 

The next step is a very precise structural x-ray examination to see the position of your spinal bones and to rule out any other possible diseases that may be affecting your spine. Commonly, we see the structural abnormalities that result in abnormal spinal weight bearing that in turn produces spinal degeneration or arthritis.
 

Once all of the data about you and your problem is collected I analyze the x-rays and examination findings, correlate this with the history you provided and come up with a recommended treatment program. We (you and I), as a team, decide what the best approach for you to achieve the results you desire. I find that patients also need to fully understand this new science. Part of my duty as a doctor is therefore to teach you about your body. As soon as possible I have you (and your spouse, if applicable significant other or other family member) attend our Spinal Care Class. I find patients save time, money and respond much quicker when they understand how their body works and what is expected of them.
 

The treatment is the delivery of gentle precise forces to the abnormally positioned spinal bones to correct their position. Often, ice packs are used to help the body control swelling and/or inflammation. I also use various specific exercises designed to retrain your spinal muscles to a more normal function. Quite regularly, daily activities are contributing to both the abnormal position and an abnormal pattern in the body. Examples are sleeping, sitting, driving, and even exercising.
 

The response to treatment in my office is overwhelmingly positive. I have helped literally thousands of people eliminate the pain and lack of function present in their bodies. All of this achieved naturally, without drugs or surgery, allowing your body's own natural healing ability to flourish. Scientific Chiropractic care is the best choice for you and your body.