Too many back pain providers?
How many types of professions take care of your teeth? That’s right, only one: dentists. How many professionals can help you when you have a back problem? Chiropractors, physical therapists, osteopaths, orthopedists, neurologists, sports doctors, massage therapists, sports trainers, general family doctors, physiatrists, tai chi instructors and acupuncturists, among others. Each with their own perspective and unique way of caring for you in your time of need.
Is it any wonder people are confused about where to go when experiencing headaches, neck pain, or back pain? Especially when that pain doesn’t go away with the usual round of painkillers and muscle relaxants. You could literally spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours going from one professional to another looking for an answer to your problem without really getting long-term help. And many have done just that.
But with all the options you have when you have persistent or disabling spinal pain, there’s a simple way to understand your care options. Ask each professional how they are going to treat your pain and the differences start to show.
Who uses medicine to treat back pain?
When it comes to the first choice for treating back pain, neck pain, or headaches, pharmaceuticals are often the first thing medical providers recommend. This means that family doctors, orthopedists, neurologists and some osteopaths can be grouped together. When it’s time for your pain to be evaluated, these professionals will make sure your spine pain is really coming from your spine and not your internal organs, and offer you a drug to help you deal with the pain as soon as possible. . your body recovers.
Who uses surgery to treat back pain?
When it comes to persistent pain and has not responded to stronger medications or even a course of physical therapy, surgery may be recommended by the following providers: orthopedists, neurologists, and some osteopaths. Family doctors may recommend surgery after referring you to another specialist. If your orthopedist or neurologist has a surgical specialty, they may be more inclined to recommend surgery for your care. In almost all cases, X-rays and MRIs will be used to diagnose a degenerative condition in the joints of the spine before surgery is recommended.
Who uses manual therapies to treat pain?
When it comes to helping patients or clients with chronic or acute pain, the following professionals use manual approaches: chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists. Depending on your history with manual therapy, some doctors, such as osteopaths and orthopedists, will use some manual therapy in certain cases. In many cases, medical providers are more comfortable referring you to a physical therapist for care. Some medical providers also refer to doctors of chiropractic.
Manual therapy includes massage, spinal manipulation, and exercise rehabilitation.
Who uses spinal manipulation?
Of all these providers and all these approaches, only one professional, at least in the United States, offers an effective manual therapy called spinal manipulation. And that’s the doctor of chiropractic. Chiropractic physicians perform more than 90% of all spinal manipulations (called chiropractic adjustments), giving chiropractors a unique option to help you overcome spinal-related pain such as headaches, back pain, and Neck Pain.
How many professionals are available to help you take care of your spine? Sometimes it seems too much to count. But when you examine providers for how they treat the person in pain, the differences begin to stand out. If you want to try spinal manipulation, which is often an effective option, your best option for care is in the hands of a chiropractic doctor.
