Chiropractors all over the world frequently have new patients confide in them that they are in the chiropractor's office because, They've "tried everything else". These people have seen a slew of doctors of every specialty. These new patients have an unhealthy familiarity with over-the-counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories. They likely have as much experience with prescription drugs. They arrive with several pounds of x-rays and a diagnosis from Mayo Clinic. They really have tried everything else. Some have undergone one or more spinal surgeries. X-rays reveal rods and screws and wires along with the expected bones.

This leaves the chiropractor at somewhat of a disadvantage. We chiropractors can help effect a great deal of beneficial change in people's spines. Our practices are full because of the expertise chiropractors possess to work toward realigning misaligned painful spinal joints and returning the body to maximum function. However, once there are rods and screws involved we can only work with the existing healthier joints. We can maximize what is there; we just can't do anything about replacing what health and mobility has been permanently lost. Of course, we are more than willing to do the very best we can with what we have.

This article suggests to you that chiropractic may often be your first choice for spinal health care. It can also be your last resort, but what makes chiropractic a superior option from the get-go is that it is non-invasive. Chiropractic also works simply to help the body's natural inborn ability to heal. Workers Compensation studies have time and again shown that chiropractic care for back pain is less costly than other options and returns the employee to work more quickly. A recent Rand study defined chiropractic as the primary option for many low back pain sufferers.

The facts are mounting in chiropractic's favor from patient satisfaction to long-term pain relief. Please consider, also, that there is no expensive hospital stay or drug side effects to be concerned with when experiencing the benefits of chiropractic spinal adjustments. Often, results seem miraculous to people who have suffered long and hard.

Contrast this with the information released by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international network of health-science research volunteers. This group, after reviewing clinical studies, reports on what is and is not supported in the scientific literature. In a recent article printed in Spine, the Cochrane Collaboration reported findings on surgical treatments for several types of low back conditions which showed good evidence for some types of spinal surgeries, but little or no evidence for others.

Just this information alone might make a back pain sufferer look to the less invasive options for correcting the cause of back pain. We are asking you to be informed consumers. We are suggesting, again, that chiropractic should be the first choice which is better than the last resort.