Back pain associated with a slipped or ruptured disc is one of the most common disabling conditions of adulthood. It is estimated that over thirty-one million Americans complain of low back pain at any given time. It is also one of the most costly conditions, accounting for more than eight billion dollars in medical care annually.

A slipped or ruptured disc has long been considered the diagnosis of a bad back. However, a recent study found that about a quarter of people with no history of back trouble whatsoever have ruptured discs when examined with magnetic imaging scans, or MRI's. This study was conducted by Dr. Maureen C. Jensen and colleagues, from Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California, on 98 healthy volunteers.

The study casts doubt on the use of MRI's for back problems. The research suggest that slipped or ruptured discs may not mean much for many people and they certainly cannot be assumed to be the cause of a patient's backache. Dr. Jensen's work, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is somewhat similar to a study completed earlier by Dr. Scot Boden, an orthopedic surgeon at Emory University. Dr. Boden states, "The MRI should never be used as a screening test, which is unfortunately the way it is very commonly used today. In fact, use of the MRI too early in somebody's disease process can result in seeing findings that are like gray hair---everybody gets them---and can result in over treatment."

Thousands of patients suffering from so-called slipped or ruptured discs have avoided needless surgery thanks to gentle chiropractic spinal adjustments. If your know of anyone suffering with back pain, please suggest they try chiropractic first.

According to another famous medical authority, Robert A. Mendelsohn, M.D., "Nobody in America should be allowed to have back surgery unless they have seen a chiropractor first."