Question
I recently took my 15 year old daughter complaining of occasional lower back pain to a Maximized Living chiropractor. He took X-rays and told us she has SubLuxation and That she haS lost 50% of her Arc of Life in areas C6, C7 and D1 and that the nerves are being pinched in this area. Further, that the nerves in this area lead to the heart and lungs and that if left uncorrected could lead to serious trouble with these organs later down the road. Her curve is 20 or 25 degrees and according to him should be 45 degrees. He said he would have to take care of this problem before dealing with her lower back pain issues. He adjusted her twice so far. Last night we (along with about 20 other people) listened to his group presentation about how our daughter would end up in serious trouble unless she was treated 3 times a week for 3 months, twice a week then finally once a week for a total of 72 adjustments per year. She would also receive 2 Re-exams, 2 X-rays, 36 Traction, 36 Wobble, 36 Wobble/Wtz and 1 DME (whatever that is) for a total "value" of $8,985.00. He said he would give us a deal charing us only $106.50 monthly. Our insurace covers 24 visits annually. He said she would also be required to exercise at home for about 10 minutes daily.

I have no way of knowing whether this type of treatment is truly necessary and in the best interest of my daughter. Also I am concerned that harm may be done to my daughter if he is making adjustments when it is not really necessary. After all, we are talking about her spine.

Thank you for any information you can shre with me.

Answer
Dear Kathy,

This is a VERY important issue.  I've written in previous Q/A's on this site about this type of lunatic fringe in the chiropractic profession.   There is absolutely no reason to x-ray a 15 year old female that has occasional lower back pain!!  This flies in the face of all current treatment guidelines.  It is completely unnecessary.  There is no validity to his determination of what vertebrae have "subluxations."  Subluxation is a medical term for a joint that is out of place but not so much that it is dislocated.  The chiropractic term "subluxation" is a misnomer.  It is quickly becoming a historic term and it is being taken out of current clinical terminology because nobody can define the chiropractic version of this medical term.  It surely cannot be defined by x-ray, and this has been a growing concern for decades.  The doctor's job is to perform a physical examination, rule out serious medical problems that would bar her from treatment (e.g. a kidney stone, infection, or fracture), and then provide treatment to the spine in ways that improve the spine function and reduce any obvious soft tissue irritation (for example). It is NOT based on the erroneous determinations of looking at an x-ray.   I highly urge you to do two things: 1) report this situation to your state's chiropractic licensing board, since this sort of treatment (just the x-rays alone)is potentially harmful to the public. 2) get out of that office and find a chiropractor that is a modern, rational, patient-centered (not doctor centered$$), evidence-based and outcomes-based.  You may have to do some searching.  Consider looking on this list: www.westhartfordgroup.com/   If nobody is close, contact someone on the list and they can help find a good quality provider for you.   I urge you to contact your state board and let them know what this provider is doing.  "Maximized living"?  For whom?!  

I'm sorry to sound so abrupt about this, but it really is a big deal.  If the public does not report this behavior to the state board, then nothing changes.  

I hope this was helpful.  

Dr. G