Question
Im 19 and I have terrible back problems. My dad went to a toftness chiropractor and said it helped his back. I dont feel better at all . I am too young to always in pain. I have been researching this Toftness method.Im very sckeptical about it . What is your opinion on the Toftness method? And what chiropractic method would you suggest for a 19 yr old who has constant back and neck pain? OH also the toftnenss doctor says i have scoliosis but my family doctor says i dont. Besides a little curve in ex-rays what constitutes as scoliosis?

Thank you

Answer
So I'm assuming that you've had some chiropractic care already. How much/how long have you been going?

I believe that anyone and everyone are too young to always be in pain! I'm hoping that you will find something that will help you AND correct your problem.

Toftness, like any chiropractic technique, works for some people, but maybe not everyone. I myself have had this technique done, and I think it is effective. But there are other techniques I have given 1, 5, or several tries, and they didn't affect me, or I didn't notice a big change. Of course, you didn't get this way overnight, so it may be little changes over time that add up to one big noticeable result. Does that make sense?

I cannot suggest a "magic bullet" of a chiropractic technique. Like I said, different things work for different people. If the chiro you are going to isn't working out, ask him or her to either try another technique, or refer you to another chiropractor who may be better able to help you.

In reference to scoliosis, the medical and chiropractic professions look at it a little differently. We as D.C.'s specialize in the spine, so we look at them all day. Most MDs see major scoliosis (lateral curvature...to the side), while we are better suited to see it at the beginning stages. A typical medical course of managing scoliosis involves WAITING for it to get to 35 or 40 degrees before even suggesting that there is a problem and that the patient needs metal rods (or something else like that) in their back. Go back to high school math and just eyeball a 30-45 degree angle from straight up and down. That's a lot of curve! On the other hand, we look at it from the beginning stages, and try to prevent it from getting worse, if not correcting the curve. Again, there are several techniques to accomplish this! It also takes time, so you'll have to be patient.

I hope this helps. Please respond and let me know what questions you may have, and I will try to help you.