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| The Best Way to Ease Back Pain? Research by the Content Manager |
| Sooner or later, it seems, everyone has a bout of
back pain. So what's the best way to handle it? Get crunched by a chiropractor? See a
physical therapist? Or just tough it out on your own? Truth is, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference ... if you judge by what happened to three hundred back patients in Seattle. After a month, most were in less pain -- no matter what they did or had done to them. The people who got treated by a chiropractor or physical therapist went through slightly less pain than others who took advice from self-help books instead. And after a year the folks who got treated were a bit more comfortable climbing stairs or handling other daily activities. But they were all equally likely to have a relapse and to miss work as a result. Perhaps the real difference hands-on treatment makes is it leaves folks feeling cared for. Is that worth the extra cost? Probably depends on who's paying. |