Chiropractors offer non-surgical treatment for both acute and chronic low back pain. Many patients are concerned about potential side effects or addiction to pharmaceutical drugs. They prefer chiropractic treatments as an effective and natural option. What’s the evidence regarding the benefits of chiropractic vs. other forms of care in managing low back pain?
Low Back Pain Study
In 2018, a study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association focused directly on this question. Researchers compare patient outcomes of those receiving usual medical care to the second group of patients that also received chiropractic care.
The data were collected at three sites. These sites include two large military medical centers and one smaller hospital at a military training site. This lasted over the 3.5-year time period. Eligible participants include active duty United States service members between 18 and 50 years of age who were diagnosed with mechanical low back pain.
Approximately six weeks after the conclusion of care, the researchers reported that patients in the chiropractic group scored higher. This is with respect to low back pain intensity, disability, perceived improvement, satisfaction, and medication use.
The patients in each group received usual medical care for six weeks. Medical care includes self-care, medications, physical therapy, and pain clinic referral. Participants in one group also received chiropractic care with spinal manipulative therapy in the low back and adjacent regions. They also receive additional therapeutic procedures such as rehabilitative exercise, cryotherapy, superficial heat, and other manual therapies.
Conclusion
There are many high-quality studies that similarly show the benefits of chiropractic care including higher patient satisfaction levels, less medication use, higher quality of life scores, and less pain-related disability. Current Low Back Pain guidelines have embraced chiropractic care as the FIRST line of treatment for LBP. So the next time you have back pain in North Dallas and would like to have a safe, effective, natural approach to get better, consider searching for a “chiropractor near me”.
