BACK pain is one of the most common causes of work-related disability in many countries and nearly 8o percent of adults are affected by back pain at some point in their lives. Furthermore, a new study suggests that sitting upright for hours at a time, for example when working at a computer, may lead to chronic back pain. This could explain why a growing number of young adults and adolescents are complaining of back ache.
Younger patients are often unwilling to take the usual pain killers. They prefer to try alternative health care such as chiropractic. And it is interesting to note that in the United States alone, chiropractors are the third largest group after physicians and dentists. Chiropractic care is still fairly new in the Arab world but the growing interest in alternative medicine is creating a momentum for this form of healing. Several chiropractors have followed in the footsteps of Abdul Rahman Al-Hashem who was the first Saudi to obtain a chiropractic license.
Chiropractic is a form of treatment that seeks to eliminate pain through the manipulation of the spinal column. Chiropractors believe that many ailments are caused by vertebra impinging on spinal nerves. After manipulations or adjustments to correct the vertebral alignment, normal brain and nerve transmission are restored and the body is able to resume its innate ability to recover from illness.
Manipulation of the spine is the main technique in today’s chiropractic treatment. Though its use has been documented from the time of the ancient Egyptians, spinal manipulation is solely a chiropractic endeavor. Chiropractic care (derived from the Greek words cheiros and praktikos meaning done by hand) was founded in 1895 by Daniel David Palmer. Palmer’s objective was to find a cure for disease and illness that did not use drugs. He studied the structure of the spine and the ancient art of manipulation. He first treated a local janitor who complained of deafness after performing heavy labor in a stooped position. Upon examination, palmer noted a lump on the janitor’s back that he realized was a displaced vertebra. Shortly after Palmer’s manipulation of the janitor’s back, his hearing was restored. Later, Palmer claimed to have successfully treated a man’s heart condition using spinal manipulation. Based upon his success in these two cases, Palmer concluded that disease could be the result of spinal misalignment.
Chiropractors take a medical history like other doctors. Then, they perform an examination focused on detecting muscle strength versus weakness, the range of motion of the complete spine, any structural abnormalities and the posture assumed by the patient in a variety of position. X-rays and other images may be taken to help make a diagnosis. Because chiropractors emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles and do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery, chiropractic care appeals to a growing number of health-conscious people. Chiropractic treatment of the back, neck, extremities and joints has become more accepted as a result of research and changing attitudes about alternative and noninvasive health care practices.
The US Department of Health and Human Services lists spinal manipulation as a proven treatment for low back pain and numerous studies have shown that people with lower back pain who are treated at chiropractic clinics recover faster and at less cost and end up with less pain and more mobility than those treated in hospitals. Chiropractic therapy is also used to treat arthritis, and a variety of other disorders including many nonpainful ailments.
Important Points
• Lean back before reading this; your back may thank you.
• A 135-degree body-thigh sitting posture has been demonstrated to be the best sitting position, as opposed to the 90-degree posture, which most people consider normal. Sitting in a sound position is essential, since the strain put on the spine and its associated ligaments over time can lead to pain, deformity and chronic illness.