As is true with many medical professionals, your chiropractor uses an approach known as “differential diagnosis.” When you present your age, gender, and medical history, the doctor will determine the likely causes of your symptoms by gathering information and ruling out the less likely conditions. If the facts of your case lead to contradictory conclusions, the doctor may try an approach that deals with one problem, and then try another solution if the first one does not give good results.
If you come into a physician’s office with an open wound, the treatment choice might be clear, but when you present with back pain, there are a myriad of issues that may be indicated. Causes might include common back conditions such as sacroiliac joint syndrome, disc herniation (slipped disc), facet joint syndrome, sciatica, central stenosis, lateral stenosis, or piriformis syndrome. In any case, the treatment might vary depending on the condition. You might also have a serious condition which requires a different course of treatment, such as cancer, tumors, abdominal problems, or an infection.