Why don’t doctors and chiropractors agree about low back pain? My doctor wants to order an X-ray to see what’s wrong. My chiropractor says it won’t show anything because it’s a soft tissue injury. My doctor wants me to rest and take anti-inflammatory drugs. My chiropractor wants to treat me.

Research shows there’s actually a large gap in beliefs about low back pain between medical doctors and chiropractors. There are also wide differences of opinion in what the
general public believes and health care providers.

No one is quite sure how this has come about or what to do about it. There may be a lack of communication between patients and health professionals. There may be a similar lack of cooperation between various health care workers.

Acute low back pain is still treated by many professionals despite research that shows it will get better for most people in one to two weeks. And treatment varies depending on who’s giving it from doctors to chiropractors to physical therapists.