Low back pain (LBP) accounts for over 3 million emergency department visits per year in the United States alone. Worldwide, LBP affects approximately 84% of the general population, so eventually, almost EVERYONE will have it! The early Roman and Greek eras indicate back pain was very prevalent, and that really hasn’t changed. Some feel it’s because we are bipedal (walk on two legs) rather than quadrupedal (walk on four limbs). In comparison, the two degenerative disk diseases and spinal osteoarthritis are on pause in the four-legged species by approximately two decades. Regardless, back pain is “the rule,” NOT the exception when it comes to patient visits to chiropractors and medical doctors.
Previously, we looked at the surgical rate of LBP by comparing patients who went to spinal surgeons vs. to chiropractors. The patients who go to the chiropractor are happy with their results. Approximately 43% of workers who first saw a surgeon had surgery compared to those who first saw a chiropractor!
How successful is spinal surgery?
A review published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons shows that in cases of degenerative disk disease (DDD), non-surgical approaches are the most effective. They report the success rate of spinal fusions for DDD is only 50-60%. The advent of artificial disks originally proposed to be a “cure” for symptomatic disk disease. The authors of the review wrote, “Surgery should be the last option, but patients think of surgery as a cure-all”. Surgeons should pay close attention to the list of contraindications. Surgery should only be for those patients who are truly likely to benefit from it.
Success Rate of Chiropractic Management
In a 2012 article, three patients have lumbar spinal fusions at least two years before they were treated with spinal manipulation and rehabilitation for eight weeks. At the completion of care, all three (100%) have clinical improvements that are being maintained a year later. Another study reports 32 cases of post-surgical low back pain patients undergoing chiropractic care have an average drop in pain from 6.4/10 to 2.3/10 (that means pain was reduced by 4.1 points out of 10 or 64%). An even larger drop was reported when dividing up those who had a combination of spinal surgeries (discectomy, fusion, and/or laminectomy) with a pain drop of 5.7 out of 10 points!
LBP Conclusion
Spinal surgery SHOULD be the last resort. If a patient had more than one surgery and still has pain, “failed back syndrome” carries many symptoms and disabilities. In our North Dallas chiropractic clinic we’ve found to NOT utilize chiropractic post-surgically is almost as crazy as not utilizing it pre-surgically!
For more information about chiropractic care for low back pain contact us today!
