In 2008, a study published in the journal Spine sought to identify EARLY PREDICTORS for low back pain. The effort is to reduce the number of low back pain (LBP) patients who go on to experience long-term disability. Researchers followed 1,885 low back injury claimants for a year. They later reviewed data collected during the first three weeks following their injury. They wanted to identify anything that might predict a greater risk of work-related disability one year later.
According to their findings, there are many factors that increase the risk of work-related disability. These include injury severity, the initial treatment and type of healthcare provider, and worker-reported physical disability. It also includes the number of pain locations, work-related stress, no job accommodations, and prior injury involving a month or more off work.
Chiropractic Care for Back Pain
One VERY important factor mentioned in the study was the type of healthcare practitioner (HCP) the injured worker first consulted with for treatment. Those who sought chiropractic care initially were far less likely to become disabled (only 5%). Disability in those who first visited doctors who specialize in primary care (12%), occupational medicine (26%), or “other” disciplines (23%).
Studies have also noted additional benefits of seeking chiropractic care for work-related musculoskeletal injuries versus other forms of healthcare delivery. Chiropractic care reduces the likelihood of extended time off work, results in less total healthcare costs, higher quality of life, fewer medications, fewer emergency department visits, and higher levels of patient satisfaction.
In addition, LBP Guidelines published in the United States and around the world consistently recommend spinal manipulation as a FIRST form of care for most types of low back pain based on these findings. We all have the option of seeking the type of care that we believe will best solve our problem. But with the findings reported in this and many other studies, evidence STRONGLY supports that seeking chiropractic IS the logical FIRST choice!
