Chiropractors provide helpful pain relief

Certain kinds of pain call for treatment from doctors specifically trained for those areas.

When it comes to neck and back pain, chiropractors are gaining recognition as experts.

“A chiropractor is a doctor who uses spinal manipulation to improve joint function and the function of the nervous system,” said Dr. Trey Lott, M.D., D.C.

Lott, who practices as a medical doctor and also a chiropractor in Birmingham, said, “The basic idea is to restore the nervous system function so the person doesn’t hurt as much.

“Chiropractors don’t use medicine,” he noted. “Everything they do is holistic in nature.” They use their hands to put motion back in the joint that lost motion, which in turn caused it to swell, irritated the nerves and created muscle spasms and disfunction, he said.

“When it comes to back pain, in my opinion, spinal manipulation is the best treatment,” Lott said.

But he contends working as a team with a medical doctor brings the most success.

“The doctor can prescribe medication to help with the pain until the chiropractor fixes the cause of the problem,” he said, noting that sometimes the symptom has to be treated as well as the problem.

Lott encourages people who see a chiropractor to share that information with their medical doctor. “It is important that patients are upfront,” he said.

While Lott has the advantage of being both a chiropractor and a medical doctor, he said he also receives referrals from other medical doctors.

“Most medical doctors are referring patients to chiropractors now,” he said, noting that at one time chiropractors were frowned upon by medical doctors. “It is favorable now,” he said. “It gets the patients well quicker and is more cost effective.”