Writing by Eric

Everything published here is written to help you understand a problem, not to diagnose one. An article can tell you what typically causes low back pain, what the research says about spinal manipulation for headaches, and which symptoms mean you should stop reading and call someone. It cannot tell you which of those applies to your spine, because that requires putting hands on it.

That distinction matters more in this field than most. “My back hurts” is a description, not a diagnosis — the same sentence covers a facet joint that has stopped gliding, a disc pressing on a nerve root, a sacroiliac joint carrying uneven load, and a muscle guarding an injury from years ago. All four respond to different treatment, and two of them get worse under the wrong one. No amount of reading sorts that out; a 60-to-90 minute examination does.

So use these the way you would use a good pamphlet in a waiting room. They will make your first visit better, because you will arrive with sharper questions and a clearer account of your own history. They will not replace it.

There is also a short list of symptoms that belong in an emergency department rather than a chiropractic office, no matter what any article says: loss of bowel or bladder control, numbness through the saddle area, progressive weakness in a limb, the worst headache of your life, or any severe pain that follows a significant crash or fall. If you are reading about back pain and you recognise yourself in that list, stop and get seen today.