WOULD YOU GO TO YOUR PCP FOR A TOOTHACHE?

I pose the question, "Would you go to your PCP for a toothache? He or she is trained in all aspects of the human body and has a good understanding of the teeth and gums. He or she knows that healthy teeth play an important part in overall health, so certainly one would think that going to him or her might be a good option. But you don't. Why not? Well, because we all know that a dentist has more specific training, knowledge and experience with teeth and related matters. In fact, even if you did go to your PCP, I bet 99.99% or more would send you to your dentist, and you would thank them and do so without hesitation. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND So, who should you see if you are having musculoskeletal problems? To this day about 86% of people would select their primary physician or equivalent medical practice for these issues. Is that any smarter than seeing him or her for your teeth?

Studies in 2004, 2006 and 2007 found that not only were the areas of spinal dysfunction and mechanical back pain not understood by the medical doctors, but most had little if any training in the area and almost no experience treating it. The typical response to treating low back pain is still to provide pain medication, muscle relaxants, order an x-ray and possibly refer to physical therapy. This is the routine in spite of the 1994 U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency of Health Care Policy and Research, establishing guidelines that indicated doing x-rays or MRIs is not necessary in most cases unless there are presenting dangerous conditions. They also reported that muscle relaxants and Opioids were of equivocal efficacy and increased the risk of causing drowsiness, debilitation and the potential for dependency. The medical world has not moved since 1994 and is still steering the patients who come to them with low back problems to follow these same regimens which are ineffective.

What the study did recommend was "manipulation (in place of medication) " with the option of adding physical agents or modalities. This is the exact area of training and expertise of the chiropractor. Chiropractic training is very thorough, encompassing at least 4820 hours of training including a very focused education in anatomy and physiology. The colleges are charged by the Council on Chiropractic Education, the Federally recognized accrediting agency for chiropractic colleges, to have a curriculum that enables the students to be proficient in neuromusculoskeletal evaluation, treatment and management.

By contrast, in a 2007 report, 82% of 4th year medical students about to enter internships failed to show basic competency on musculoskeletal examination. It is not that they were not good students, it was perhaps because too little time was given to this in their education. I suspect they might have performed similarly on a dental competency examination. These two studies show that chiropractic care is more effective and costs less than traditional medical care for low back pain.

So, my question now becomes, "Would you go to your PCP for a backache?"

Acknowledgment is given to an article published in the American Chiropractor October 2015 titled Chiropractic, Chronic Back Pain, and Brain Shrinkage. from which some of the information was extracted.