In a 2015 Gallup poll of more than 5,400 Americans, 60 percent believed chiropractic is an effective treatment for neck and back pain. It’s true that chiropractors manipulate, or adjust the spine to improve pain and mobility, but the benefits may extend beyond the back. By using varying degrees of force in an effort to adjust misaligned joints, chiropractors try to improve the relationship between the spine and nervous system, which they believe may affect the function of all the organs and systems in the body.

The Science Annual 2010 report issued by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found spinal manipulation is as effective as medication for low back pain. The same year, a British analysis of nearly 100 high-quality systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials found that manipulation was beneficial for acute and chronic low back pain, neck pain and knee osteoarthritis. As well, a 2013 study published in Osteoarthritis and Cartilage found that patient education combined with 12 chiropractic treatments (twice a week for six weeks) were more effective for hip OA than a daily stretching program or patient education alone. Reports from the chiropractor-led spine program at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth, Massachusetts are also positive: Most patients with bad backs experience significant pain relief in about five visits.

“A recent study published in Clinical Therapeutics found that half of patients with low back pain take prescription narcotics (opioids), which is alarming,” says William Lauretti, DC, assistant professor at New York Chiropractic College. “But the study also showed that those who have chiropractic care are far less likely to use these drugs.”

Presented as a service to the community by: Union County Chiropractic Clinic, 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, TN (865) 992-7000 www.unioncountychiropractic.com.