A new study, in The Spine Journal, confirms what most chiropractic patients already know. When it comes to getting rid of acute low back pain, chiropractic is the best approach.
The study was designed to evaluate the outcomes of “spinal pain patient management” and examine the effectiveness of care with and without chiropractic treatment. Unlike previous research in this area, all chiropractic procedures were only performed by chiropractors. This is an important distinction since manipulation by other practitioners can be radically different from techniques employed by chiropractic specialists. Progress was measured through back pain questionnaires.
The results? The chiropractic group showed significant improvement in questionnaire scores while participants who received usual care, typically NSAID drugs and physical therapy did not. Specifically the study found, the addition of mobilization or manipulation by a physical therapist had no clinical worthwhile benefit. At 16 weeks, 78% of the group that received usual care [drugs and exercise advice] were still taking narcotic analgesic medications on a daily or as needed basis.
So chiropractic care clearly wins, right? Actually, it’s a much bigger win than appears at first blush. While the medical protocols continued throughout the 16 week study, patients were only allowed to receive a maximum of four weeks of chiropractic care. And the care itself was also restricted. The chiropractor was only allowed to adjust the lumbar spine and only using side posture technique.
This flies in the face of standard chiropractic treatment protocols. The spine is a single functioning unit. And while low back pain may be caused by a misalignment in the lower back, the problem could easily be elsewhere. A twist in the pelvis or sacrum, subluxations in the mid back or even neck misalignments can be the culprit. In fact, the root cause of LBP doesn’t even have to originate in the spine. A displaced ankle or knee can be the biomechanical origin of back pain.
It just goes to show you. Even with the chiropractic adjustment reduced to the ridiculous, chiropractic is still the best choice for the treatment of low back pain. Of course, you don’t have to worry about limited chiropractic care at Fink Family Wellness. We check your entire body…the entire spine and all the extremity joints, and make sure they’re working right before you walk out the door.
Feel free to share this article with friends and family. Sometimes research from a well respected, peer reviewed journal can be all they need to finally seek the best treatment available for their aches and pains.
