Question
I recently began therapy with a chiropracter due to a strain that shifted a couple of my lower back vertebre disks  creating a sort of stepping stair effect with those disks according to the x-rays. One of these disks is applying pressure on a nerve that runs down into my left leg, at first I experienced severe pain which has subsided but has left a sizeable area of numbness around my knee, this has also created a weakness which has stopped me from running as the leg will give out on me. I guess my question is since this is  an anterior/ posterior shift rather than a side to side do you think manipulation will fix it?Im into week two, 3 times a week and I havent experienced any improvement. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely
Ron Heater

Answer
Dear Ron Heater,  

Thank you for your question.  I don抰 know how much knowledge you already have about chiropractic, though the nature of your question tells me you have at least some experience as a consumer.  In order to give you the greatest benefit in answering your questions, then, I抣l first need to give you some background information.  

There are two branches or schools of thought in chiropractic.  Briefly, they are differentiated by whether they deal with the limited therapeutic approach for aches and pains (commonly termed "mixed" chiropractic because it represents a mixture of a chiropractor with a non-chiropractic matter) or a non-therapeutic approach to optimum body performance (termed "straight" chiropractic because there is no mixing of chiropractic with anything else and it is distinct from the field of medicine).  My expertise is in non-therapeutic straight chiropractic.

Therapeutic "mixed" chiropractic is an older approach based on a split from the founding principles of chiropractic about a century ago.  

Non-therapeutic "straight" chiropractic is the more modern of the two.  It deals with a particular, common situation called a vertebral subluxation.  This is not the same as the finding of herniated disk and leg symptoms, as you mention in your question, though they may exist together.  The spine is made of many bone segments which house and protect the spinal cord and the smaller spinal nerve branches that come off the spinal cord and exit between the bones.  These nerve pathways carry information or messages between the brain and the cells of the body.  These messages are essential for the life of the cells.  Without vital brain messages, the cells immediately begin the process of dying; i.e., they can no longer function the way they should to maintain life.

Because the bones are moveable, they can misalign in such a way as to interfere with the messages and, ultimately, the ability of the person to function at their best or express their optimum potential.  People with vertebral subluxations are not able to get all they can out of life.

Vertebral subluxations can be caused by a wide variety of factors, what we'll generally call stresses.  These stresses can be physical (such as an exertion, sleeping posture and mattress condition, the birth process, sneezing, falling down, etc.), mental / emotional (in its many forms, probably the most familiar use of the word stress), or chemical (such as pollution, drugs, etc.), which are, unfortunately, regular parts of daily living for all age groups.  In short, a vertebral subluxation can occur for a multitude of reasons.

Tragically, vertebral subluxations are rarely obvious to the individual they affect.  They usually have no symptoms.  The reason is that most of what goes on inside you happens without your awareness.  As an example, try to "feel" your liver.  What's it doing right now?  You can't know, so you can't know if it's functioning at its best or something less.  To complicate things, nerve pathways that carry messages of control (termed "motor" nerves) have no way of transmitting ache or pain messages, so your body function may be far from perfect and you'd not have any alerting signal whatsoever.  The branching of the nerve pathways is complex and extensive, making it exceedingly difficult to predict or determine exactly how the person will be affected.  In order to know if someone has a vertebral subluxation, it is necessary to have that person抯 spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor using a method of "analysis."  When a vertebral subluxation is detected this way, it is obviously important to correct it as soon as possible using a method of 揳djustment.? Adjustments are not the same as manipulations, though they may each be done by hand and bones may be moved.  An adjustment is done with specific direction and magnitude, solely for the correction of vertebral subluxation.  Manipulation is done for therapeutic purposes, such as treating leg or back problems, for example.  

Now that you have more information about the body and vertebral subluxation, how do you make use of it?  Well, first understand that this is not an explanation of how to deal with herniated disks or whether yours are causing you some other symptoms.  There may be many reasons as to why discs may become damaged or what effects they may then have, but pinning them down is not relevant to the matter of whether you would benefit from being free of vertebral subluxations.  Vertebral subluxation is, in and of itself, detrimental to life.  It is not valid or reliable to try to connect it to a disk condition or any other organ or tissue conditions.  In order to know if someone has a vertebral subluxation, it is necessary to have that person抯 spine checked by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor using a method of "analysis."  When a vertebral subluxation is detected this way, it is obviously important to correct it as soon as possible.  The term for this procedure is 揳djustment.? 

Since vertebral subluxations are caused by so many different things, people choose to go to a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor on a regular basis to enjoy the most time free of the life-robbing effects of vertebral subluxation. There's a saying that non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is not about your back, it's not about your pain, it's about your life.  Each person has a unique potential in life.  With vertebral subluxation, it's impossible to realize that potential.

In summary, then, a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor has the professional objective of checking the spine on a regular basis for vertebral subluxations and safely correcting those that are found so that the individual may express their optimum potential on all levels.  

A key question to ask for your purposes, then, would be, Is someone who has herniated disks better off with vertebral subluxation / nerve interference or free of subluxation / with the nerve channels open?  It is easy to see that having all the available nerve messages getting through is better than only some of them getting through, regardless of the person's situation otherwise.  It抯 not that you should see a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor FOR disk problems ?you should visit one in an effort to be free of vertebral subluxations, even WITH such complaints.  Non-therapeutic straight chiropractic is not about diagnosing and/or treating this or any therapeutic-model or medical condition.  It is entirely separate in its goal.  

It is important to discuss objectives here.  It is actually the objective that determines one profession from another.   Ask someone, 揥hat profession uses x-ray?? Consider that dentists, podiatrists, medical doctors, osteopaths and even chiropractors may employ x-ray methods in their work, yet they are not interchangeable professions.  It is the goal or reason ?in other words, the objective ?for which the x-ray is used that determines which profession it is.  An important consideration, then, when considering chiropractic techniques is the type of chiropractic you wish to receive.  

As I mentioned earlier, not all chiropractors adhere to the non-therapeutic straight chiropractic division.  From the limited information I have from you, it is likely the chiropractor you have visited is of the therapeutic mixed viewpoint.  Though I can understand your frustration, having tried something that doesn抰 seem to be having the desired result, the technique of manipulation is not equivalent to adjustment, so it will be impossible for me to comment on the appropriateness of such a technique, but I will provide you with some information on adjustment and the rationale that may be employed.  More directly to your question, it would be irresponsible for anyone, even a therapeutic mixed practitioner, to guess about your situation in this type of format.  First, the reader has no in-person knowledge of you.  Second, the information provided seems a bit questionable in that soft tissues, including disk and nerve, are not visible on x-ray, making it impossible to verify that there are, indeed, herniations or impingements.  These things are true no matter what my area of expertise may be.  

In non-therapeutic straight chiropractic, there are many different technical adjusting styles.  The actual technical considerations inherent in its use are of less importance than whether it is being used in the correction of vertebral subluxations.  Methods will vary in many ways.  If the service you seek is to be checked for vertebral subluxations and effect their correction, ultimately, you will have to weigh your confidence in the chiropractor抯 ability to effectively and safely effect the correction of those vertebral subluxations that are identified.  I do not know enough about you to tell you that a particular technique is suitable to you and a particular vertebral subluxation(s) on any given day.  

Certainly, it would be wise to have your spine checked for vertebral subluxations by a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor, even if you still elect to have therapeutic attention for disk and leg issues and wish to continue with a therapeutic mixing chiropractor or anyone else to do so.  Remember, the two objectives are not the same.  I cannot tell you whether the chiropractor you have visited is right for you, but hopefully you now have enough information at hand to make that decision with greater confidence.  

If you are interested in finding out how to locate a non-therapeutic straight chiropractor in your area for your chiropractic needs, please contact me at this site again.  You may also visit www.gschiro.com, a site that represents non-therapeutic straight chiropractic on a state level in New Jersey.  

Ron, it has been my pleasure to provide you with some information.  I wish you the best.  

Sincerely,
James W. Healey, D.C.