Expert: Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman - 1/5/2008

Question
Goodmorning, I am a 42-yr. old female (mother of 2) and recently started seeing a chiropractor (Chiro-One). I wasn't looking for one but have had chronic lower back pain and stiff neck/shoulder muscles for many years. I met Chiro-One staff at a drugstore and made an appointment. They took several x-rays and told me my hips were not aligned and my spine did not have the correct curve. The hips are taken care of and it feels good. Treatment is as follows: about 30 sec. of adjustment, followed by a session in a low chair where I need to hang my head (and shoulders) down the back of the chair, in mid-air basically. It feels very uncomfortable to me, it pulls the muscles in my neck big time (they start to tremble after a while). I'm supposed to work my way up to 10 min. like this, then start adding weights to my head. I am not sure if this treatment is safe and recommendable. I have talked to other people who told me it is not a very good idea to continue this exercise. What do you think?? I had never heard of it before and am not sure if I should continue. Can I damage something else by trying to fix the back problem? I would really appreciate your input. Thank you very much!

Answer
Dear Maggie,

Since you have mentioned Chiro-one, I assume that you are in the Chicago area, as the Chiro-one group operates from that midwest region.  Chiro-one is sort of a franchise chiropractic business management group that has been marketed to chiropractors out of school to get started in business with a Turnkey type of structure.  I don't know much more about their program or what type of doctors they have in their centers, but the first thing you should do is make sure that your doctor has been certified with the Chiropractic Biophysics (CBP) organization, or is currently going through their programs and working toward certification.  You can check for your doctors name and credential by logging on to their website at www.idealspine.com.  There is a potion on the left hand side of the home page that says find a chiropractor...it will guide you though the process to see if your doctor is listed, and what training they have completed.  Better yet, ask your doctor to show you verification of their training...If my patients ask me, I can show them all of the courses and certifications I have completed after college...they will have the documentation.

The reason I say this is that the procedures you have described are fine and appropriate if you have lost the normal curve in your neck, but they need to be applied correctly to work appropriately.  The type of traction you described is used frequently and is taught by the CBP organization in their certification program, but some doctors will tell you they have the training without actually going through the program.  If your doctor and his staff have not completed the necessary training, then I would not want them using traction protocols on my neck.  Go to the website and check to make sure.

I want to make sure that you realize that this form of traction is only working the neck area, and not the low back.  It is normal to feel pulling on the neck musculature while in the traction positions, and it is part of the process...that should have been fully explained to you before you started.  Not to mention that you should have been educated on the x-rays...what degrees are considered normal, and what your neck curve measured.

Bottom line is that if the doctor has been trained appropriately, then the traction and exercise is completely safe, not to mention that you can actually regain much if not all of your lost curve.  If the doctor has not been trained appropriately, then I would suggest you find one who is.   

Good luck Maggie.

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net