McHenry Back Pain Patients Favorite Question: Why? Research Answers

April 29, 2025

Our McHenry chiropractic patients want to know “why”! Why do I have back pain? Why does back pain keep coming back? Excellent questions that can often be clarified with examination findings that line up with research-documented findings. Research can help explain that, and OrthoIllinois Chiropractic works to keep on top of the latest (with a healthy appreciation of the past!) research to communicate with you! Let OrthoIllinois Chiropractic work with you to get some understanding as to why you have spine-related pain…and how we can help you get some relief of chronic back pain.

RESEARCHERS CALL FOR “WHY” MANUAL THERAPY WORKS

Today’s medical literature and researchers are asking for more info on ‘why” manual therapy is successful beyond current studies supporting the peripheral, segmental spinal, and supraspinal mechanisms which can be assessed. A group of researchers analyzed published reviews of other studies regarding the mechanism of how manual therapy affects a body. They uncovered support for neurovascular, neurological, and neuropeptide/neuroimmune modifications as well as the effectiveness of pain reduction with manual therapy. (1) All of these discoveries are amazing! They want to understand more.

RESEARCH ON THE “WHY” OF COX® TECHNIC OUTCOMES

OrthoIllinois Chiropractic appreciates the efforts of a group of researchers who have been looking at the “why” of Cox® Technic treatment protocols and beneficial results. At the ACC-RAC chiropractic research meeting this past March 2025, two platform abstracts were presented about Cox® Technic. One discussed the ability to assess lumbar spinous process movement with ultrasound throughout the delivery of flexion distraction manipulation. The researchers highlighted the separation of the spinous process at L3L4, L4L5, L5S1 levels. (2) The second one discussed how they are able to measure the forces delivered throughout the Cox® Technic FDD spinal manipulation in a patient whose low back pain and leg pain were relieved. (3) The more measurements possible, the more understanding of “why” something works will evolve! We can’t wait to share with our McHenry chiropractic patients!

FOLLOWING GUIDELINES

Another group of researchers have planned a new project to test how implementing guidelines from the American College of Physicians for Low Back Pain may boost the care of low back pain. The guideline has been in the literature for a long time, but it has not been implemented. A study has been approved by multiple Institutional Review Boards: Duke, Dartmouth, University of Iowa, and Advarra. The first line treatment endorsed is non-pharmacological interventions like spinal manipulation and exercise. (4) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic looks forward to this study’s outcomes! It’s time!

CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, developer of Cox® Technic protocols, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management, its development, its original research, its current research, and its futuristic studies involving ultrasound measurement, force application monitoring, and more.

Make your McHenry chiropractic appointment today.

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