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