Back pain relief main reason for visits to chiropractor

Back pain relief main reason for visits to chiropractor

Most people in Jakarta see a chiropractor for the first time to
seek a cure for chronic back and neck pain. Word of mouth is the
most common source of information for most of them, although some
doctors refer patients to a chiropractor for a range of
complaints related to muscle and joint problems.

The Jakarta Post spoke to people about their chiropractic
experiences.

Diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 17 and suffering with
chronic back pain since her early teens, Wendy has been a
chiropractic patient for just two weeks. She said her condition
improved after only a couple of treatments.

"Usually I cannot move my head to the side but already after
two treatments, I can feel the difference," she said, shaking her
head slowly.

"I'd been everywhere, trying dukun (shamans), physiotherapists
and a chiropractor who used a Chinese style massage but with no
improvement," said the 28-year-old housewife.

When she visited an orthopedic specialist in Singapore, Wendy
said she was told to go home and that it would not be possible to
help her without surgery.

She claims that chiropractic therapy has had positive
emotional as well as physical effects on her, something
chiropractors say can occur due to the body being damaged by
emotional stress.

For Dorothy, severe neck and back pain led her to seek
chiropractic treatment years ago in the United States before she
moved to Indonesia. When the pain came back two months ago, a co-
worker recommended she try a chiropractor here so she seized the
opportunity.

"The chiropractor put his finger on my collar bone and stepped
away. When I looked in the mirror I noticed that my head was in
fact off to one side," said the 32-year-old woman, adding that it
seems to make sense that if you imbalanced then something is
going to hurt.

Dorothy, an NGO worker, puts her conditions down to the long
hours she spends working at her desk on a computer.

After two months, her pain has gone, though she does not know
if it's because of the chiropractic as it tends to come and go.

"I'll try the chiropractic and see if I can stop it from
happening again. I already feel tons better."

Businessman Tomas suffered from chronic lower back pain --
calling it the classic ailment of businesspeople who spend long
hours in the office. Until starting chiropractic treatment three
months ago he had difficulty walking but said he is feeling much
better already.

His enthusiasm for the results of chiropractic has led to most
of his family being treated.

"Not many people know what chiropractic is and people think
automatically that if they have back pain they need to see a
doctor. But sometimes doctors suggest unnecessary operations,"
the 67-year-old said, explaining he had an operation 10 years ago
that he since discovered was both unnecessary and could have
paralyzed him.

"When you go to the doctor it takes a long time and a lot of
money to be diagnosed. But here, in about five minutes, the
chiropractor could find what was wrong with my back. For a
businessman that's important because time is money!" he said.

Mark, a consultant, has suffered from back pain for about
seven years. Scans and tests by doctors came up with no cure for
his condition though they agreed that something was wrong.

Additional health problems such as an uncomfortable pressure
on the sides of his head lead him to be concerned that he had
something more than a simple back problem. When medical doctors
could not find any solution he decided to contact a chiropractor.

Mark has had chiropractic treatment for three weeks and has
felt no particular difference in his condition but he does not
expect a quick fix.

"If you look at what you're dealing with, the spine, you
realize that it cannot be fixed fast," said the 39-year-old man.

"Apart for seeking a cure I came to chiropractic because I
like the philosophy, that they look for the causes and don't just
suppress symptoms with medicine."

Peter works in the same building as a chiropractic clinic but
says that despite having suffered back problems, he would not
consider going to a chiropractor except as a last resort.

"I believe that a physiotherapist has a better qualification
than a chiropractor because they are qualified as a doctor before
they specialize," the 31-year-old consultant said.

"I would consider any form of treatment, including traditional
healing methods, if that didn't work. And I would hold
chiropractors in a higher regard than dukun (shaman)."

-- David Kennedy