Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 1/2/2010

Question
hello  I am 33 years old, and I suffer from several back and neck pain issues stemming from a multitude of traffic accidents in childhood, and poor posture. I suffer from military neck and do not want to end up with structural issues at a later date because I failed to have the issue dealt with.

how can I find a local practitioner in my area who is qualified to deal with the medical facts, and not waste my time chasing metaphysical nonsense such as innate intelligence, and the rest?

Answer
Thank you for your question.

A March 2009 commentary in the journal Chiropractic and Osteopathy entitled, "How to select a chiropractor for the management of athletic conditions", state that chiropractic is a very broad primary contact healthcare profession with an assortment of different technique and philosophical groups, but also that chiropractors are an integral part of the management of musculoskeletal injuries.

The authors identify the following key criteria and principles which the chiropractor should demonstrate if they are to be suitable for the management of athletic injuries (but the same criteria hold true for non-athletic injuries, according to evidence-based guidelines):

- Minimum treatment time 15–20 minutes

- Treatment is multimodal in nature

- Treatment should contain active (exercises) and passive components

- No mandatory x-rays required for treatment

- No predetermined treatment schedules or prepaid contracts of care

- Use of standard medical terminology and diagnosis

- Appropriate referral for additional imaging or medical evaluation when necessary

I hope that this helps to answer your question.

(Reference: Hoskins  et al. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2009 17:3, doi:10.1186/1746-1340-17-3)