10 February 2023
My Chiropractor Misses Me!
Tai Chi and Low Back Pain
Today's WPW focuses on an exciting possibility for millions of adults:
Healing chronic low back pain with Tai Chi.
"My Chiropractor Misses Me"
Recently, long-time private client Lake Polan remarked during a break in our lesson,
"Since I started Tai Chi, I've had no appreciable back pain. It's unbelievable! My chiropractor misses me."
That prompted me to update my study on how Western Medicine views Tai Chi as an intervention for LBP.
Lake Polan, retired CEO, feeling good after his Tai Chi lesson.
Low Back Pain— The #1 Cause of Disability in the US
LBP is the #1 cause of disability in the US. LPB sends more people to the doctor than any other single reason. LBP treatment incurs an estimated $100 billion in medical costs annually.
Physical therapy, chiropractic, drugs (lots of them), injections, ablations, surgeries. All common interventions for LBP.
The problem is: Many LBP treatments don't help.
In too many cases, despite costly interventions, LBP sufferers continue to experience debilitating pain.
So what else can you do about LBP?
Two words: Tai Chi.
Tai Chi: Now a recommended first-line treatment for LBP
Western Medicine is beginning to rally around Tai Chi as a treatment for LBP.
A 2019 systematic review published in the journal Medicine concluded:
"Tai Chi alone or as additional therapy with routine physical therapy may decrease pain and improve function... for patients with LBP."
Further, the American College of Physicians, a leading authority on standards of medical care in the US, now includes Tai Chi in its guidelines for treatment of LBP.
So if you are among the millions of adults with chronic LBP, you've got another great reason to start learning Tai Chi today.
You can ask your doctor for a Tai Chi prescription!
Recommended Reading for Low Back Pain
I want to recommend two books that have influenced my approach to dealing with my own LBP.
Some background—
I've dealt with chronic LBP for many of my adult years. MRIs show clear structural reasons for the pain. Disc deterioration, stenosis, arthritis, spinal nerve compression.
I've received recommendations for surgery and other invasive interventions. I've deferred them. And continue to do so.
I'm grateful to report that my back feels better today than it has in decades. Tai Chi has helped majorly.
Here's two books that have helped guide my approach:
Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery, by Cathryn Ramin (2017).
An investigative journalist and LBP sufferer, Cathryn Ramin's book takes us on a disturbing trip through profit-driven LBP interventions.
From "minimally invasive surgery" to spinal injections to PT chains to drug therapy, she examines how many conventional LBP interventions often don't work. And in all too many cases, leave patients worse off.
She also explores therapies that have better records of positive results, including Tai Chi and Qigong.
Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?: Take Control with a Surgeon's Advice by David Hanscom, MD (2019).
David Hanscom has cut into thousands of backs. And seen lots of operations that, ultimately, didn't help.
From that experience, he stopped performing spine surgery. He's developed an analytical framework for LBP, that includes key lifestyle changes that must be implemented before even considering going under the knife.
A must-read for anyone receiving a surgical referral for LBP.
So that's the news on Tai Chi and LBP.
I'd love to hear from those of you dealing with LBP. What's helped you. What hasn't.
Just leave a reply below.
Chris Cinnamon, JD, MS
Certified Exercise Physiologist
Head Instructor
Author, Tai Chi for Knee Health