A Hands-On Alternative for Pain
Naprapathy combines manipulation, nutrition to ease woes

(HealthDay News) -- Many people live with chronic pain, but practitioners of the little-known therapy called naprapathy believe they can ease some of that pain.

"Naprapathy is hands-on connective tissue manipulation therapy, plus nutritional counseling," Paul Maguire, chief executive of the National College of Naprapathic Medicine, in Chicago, told HealthDay.

Connective tissue is any tissue in the body that supports, covers or binds tissues together. It includes fat, ligaments, tendons, cartilage and bone.

Back pain is among the conditions that might be helped by naprapathy. Maguire said that others include carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, neck pain, knee strain, sciatica, shoulder pain and tennis elbow.

So how does it work? "Naprapathy is a gentle system of manipulation that can relieve the pinching of areas causing restriction to nerves," he said. "It's noninvasive, so there's no downside to it, and it's a feel-good type of treatment that gets results."

Dr. Gerard Varlotta, director of sports rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, said he thinks that fibromyalgia, rheumatological disorders and sports injuries could possibly benefit from such treatment.

"This therapy is on the fringe of medical treatment and seems to be picking up pieces that other modalities have left behind," Varlotta told HealthDay.

Despite the therapy's "fringe" description, Maguire pointed out that his school recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

And, a study from the Clinical Journal of Pain reported that naprapathy was more effective in treating back or neck pain than standard medical advice. The study, which included more than 400 people with back or neck pain, found that those treated with naprapathy were 27 percent more likely have a reduction in pain and 18 percent more likely to have a reduction in their risk for disability.

Participants in the study who had naprapathy were 44 percent more likely to feel that they had recovered from their pain than did those who'd been given standard treatment.

Varlotta did offer a word of caution, however.

"Make sure the practitioner is educated, and that what they say makes sense," he said. "If they promise to cure cancer, that's not what they're going to be doing. But, if you have realistic expectations, that they'll try to free up areas that have become restricted over time, that's reasonable."

Only two states -- New Mexico and Illinois -- currently license people who provide naprapathic therapy. But, Maguire said that many practitioners will obtain a license in one of those states even if they're going to practice in a different state.

For people thinking of selecting a complementary or alternative practitioner, the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that they:

Check with your doctor before doing anything. The doctor might know reputable therapists in the area.
• Call your health insurer to find out what's covered and what's not. Maguire said that Medicare/Medicaid plans won't cover naprapathic therapy unless it's been specifically prescribed by a doctor.
• During the first visit, ask what benefits you might expect from the therapy. Ask if there are any risks. Then, after the appointment, evaluate what you've heard. Do the practitioner's expectations sound reasonable?

On the Web

To learn more about naprapathy, visit the National College of Naprapathic Medicine. .

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Paul Maguire, doctor of naprapathic medicine and chief executive, National College of Naprapathic Medicine, Chicago; Gerard Varlotta, D.O., director, sports rehabilitation, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine/Hospital for Joint Disease, NYU Langone Medical Center, and clinical associate professor, New York University School of Medicine, New York City; June 2007, Clinical Journal of Pain; U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2009
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