Manipulation is as effective as everything else that a medical doctor has to offer to treat low-back pain, yet many doctors criticize osteopaths and chiropractors for using manipulation.<\/p>\n
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/em> (November 4, 1999) showed that spinal manipulation is at least as effective in controlling low-back pain as the standard medical treatments of ultrasound, antiinflammatory drugs, anti-pain drugs, diathermy heat treatments, hot or cold packs, use of a corset or transcutaneous nerve stimulation. I have always recommended deep massage and manipulation for low back pain, for pain relief, not as a cure. When I had a persistant back problem, I chose deep massage of my back and was able to return to riding my bike in just six weeks.<\/p>\n Many medical doctors recommend cortisone injections when the evidence is that the most they can offer is temporary pain relief. It is not a cure. Surgery is specific for a limited number of cases of low-back pain and has a high failure rate. The NEJM<\/em> article reinforced my belief that deep massage and manipulation can help to relieve some cases of severe low-back pain.<\/p>\n