While cervical disc pathology can unquestionably produce radiculopathy, many patients presenting with arm pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness do not exhibit the clinical behavior of true nerve-root compromise. In these cases, failure to differentiate the primary pain generator may lead to unnecessary spinal injections, nerve ablation procedures or surgical consultation despite limited likelihood of benefit.
JAMA: Exercise Works for LBP
The American Medical Association and its affiliated journals may not be quick to publish research espousing the benefits of the chiropractic adjustment for low back pain, but a systematic review / meta-analysis in JAMA Internal Medicine does at least give kudos to a nondrug, nonsurgical option: exercise. According to the study authors, "The current evidence suggests that exercise alone or in combination with education is effective for preventing LBP," citing moderate-quality evidence.
The review study, authored by Steffens D., et al., identified more than 6,000 randomized clinical trials on prevention strategies for nonspecific LBP, with 23 ("on 21 different randomized clinical trials including 30,850 unique participants") meeting the inclusion criteria. (It is unknown how many of the ineligible / eligible studies involved chiropractic adjusting as a preventive strategy.)
Click here to read the study abstract and access (for a fee) the full text.