If you’re suffering from chronic lower back pain, a new review of existing research finds that spinal manipulation—the kind of hands-on regimen that a chiropractor might perform on you—is just as helpful as other frequently employed treatments, like pain killers. Spinal manipulation is also safe, researchers found.

Surveys suggest that half of working Americans suffer from back pain each year. An estimated 25 percent of American adults reported that they suffered from back pain for at least a day within the last three months. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention report that lower back pain is the fifth most common reason that people go to the doctor.

Patients frequently turn to painkillers, which can cause side effects and be addictive, or to physical therapy, which is time-consuming and expensive. The new review looks at a third option—spinal manipulation.

In North America, chiropractors perform most spinal manipulation. Practitioners move their hands around a patient’s spine and joints, often producing an audible “crack,” which is the result of a release of a gas bubble from inside the joint.

The review authors looked for randomized controlled studies, which are what researchers consider as the most reliable forms of medical research. They found 26 studies–with 6,070 participants—that met their criteria for inclusion in their review, but deemed only nine studies to be of high quality. The researchers found that spinal manipulation worked about as well as the other treatments. It appears to work well in particular for certain kinds of patients, including those with restricted movement in the back, those without psychological issues, and those without symptoms below the knee related to the sciatic nerve.

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