Chiropractic Treatment and Back Pain
Back Pain and How Chiropractic Can Help
Back pain is one of the most common health complaints that we have as humans. It will affecting 8 out of 10 people at some point throughout their lives. The lower back is the area most often affected. For many people, back pain starts with no mechanism of injury and sometimes it will go away after a few days or week of rest. But sometimes the pain becomes chronic in nature and can last for months and or years. Low-back pain can be debilitating, and cause us to less productive at home or work and a lot of times cause us to miss work all together for a period of time. The total costs of low back pain annually in the US are more than $100 billion.
There are several treatment options when it comes to treating back pain. Some people prefer to take a wait and see approach when it comes to back pain. This can detrimental to the healing process in most cases. The longer you wait to seek treatment, the longer it can sometimes take to address the underlying cause of the back pain. Chiropractors use spinal manipulation or spinal adjustment to treat back pain. Dr. Gibson at RTP Chiropractic in Morrisville also likes to incorporate stretches, exercises, medical massage therapy, and physiotherapy to address patients back pain.
So what does the research say about Chiropractors using spinal manipulation to treat low back pain and back pain in general.
- In 2011 a review of 26 clinical trials looked at the effectiveness of different treatments, including spinal manipulation by chiropractors, for chronic low back pain. The authors concluded that spinal manipulation is as effective as other interventions for reducing pain and improving function.
- A 2010 review that looked at various manual therapies, such as a chiropractor using spinal manipulation and massage, for a range of conditions found strong evidence that spinal manipulation is effective for chronic low-back pain and moderate evidence of its effectiveness for acute low-back pain.
- A 2009 analysis looked at the evidence from 76 trials that studied the effects of several conventional and complementary health practices for low back pain. The researchers found that the pain-relieving effects of many treatments, including spinal manipulation by a chiropractor, were small and were similar in people with acute or chronic pain.
- A 2008 review that focused on chiropractors use of spinal manipulation for chronic low back pain found strong evidence that spinal manipulation works as well as a combination of medical care and exercise instruction, moderate evidence that spinal manipulation combined with strengthening exercises works as well as prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs combined with exercises, and limited-to-moderate evidence that spinal manipulation works better than physiotherapy and home exercise.
The research also showed that Chiropractic treatment for back pain, more specifically lower back pain was proven to be safe and effective.
Dr. Gibson at RTP Chiropractic in Morrisville NC, is highly skilled and trained on addressing musculoskeletal dysfunctions by finding the cause of the back pain and developing a treatment plan which will help the body heal efficiently. He also utilizes stretches and exercises that will help stabilize the low back to help prevent occurrence of the the low back pain.
Call our office today to schedule an evaluation of your issue and stop living in pain.
Key References
- Bialosky JE, Bishop MD, Robinson ME, et al. Spinal manipulative therapy has an immediate effect on thermal pain sensitivity in people with low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. physiotherapy. 2009;89(12):1292–1303.
- Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans R, et al. Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report. Chiropractic & Osteopathy. 2010;18(3):1–33.
- Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans R, et al. Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with spinal manipulation and mobilization. Spine Journal. 2008;8(1):213–225.
- Bronfort G, Haas M, Evans RL, et al. Efficacy of spinal manipulation and mobilization for low back pain and neck pain: a systematic review and best evidence synthesis. Spine Journal. 2004;4(3):335–356.
- Cagnie B, Vinck E, Beernaert A, et al. How common are side effects of spinal manipulation and can these side effects be predicted? Manual Therapy. 2004;9(3):151–156.
- Cherkin DC, Sherman KJ, Deyo RA, et al. A review of the evidence for the effectiveness, safety, and cost of acupuncture, massage therapy, and spinal manipulation for back pain. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2003;138(11):898–906.
- Chou R, Huffman LH. Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low-back pain: a review of the evidence for an American Pain Society/American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007;147(7):492–504.
- Chou R, Qaseem A, Snow V, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of low-back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007;147(7):478–491.
- Dagenais S, Tricco AC, Haldeman S. Synthesis of recommendations for the assessment and management of low back pain from recent clinical practice guidelines. Spine Journal. 2010;10(6):514–529.
- Elder WG Jr, King M, Dassow P, et al. Managing lower back pain: you may be doing too much. Journal of Family Practice. 2009;58(4):180–186.
- Ferreira ML, Ferreira PH, Latimer J, et al. Comparison of general exercise, motor control exercise and spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low back pain: a randomized trial. Pain. 2007;131(1-2):31–37.
- Ferreira ML, Ferreira PH, Latimer J, et al. Efficacy of spinal manipulative therapy for low back pain of less than 3 months’ duration. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2003;26(9):593–601.
- Furlan A, Yazdi F, Tsertsvadze A, et al. Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Back Pain II. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, no. 194. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2010. AHRQ publication no. 10(11)–E007.
- Hoiriis KT, Pfleger B, McDuffie FC, et al. A randomized clinical trial comparing chiropractic adjustments to muscle relaxants for subacute low back pain.Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2004;27(6):388–398.
- Hurwitz EL, Morgenstern H, Kominski GF, et al. A randomized trial of chiropractic and medical care for patients with low back pain: eighteen-month follow-up outcomes from the UCLA low back pain study. Spine. 2006;31(6):611–621.
- Kinkade S. Evaluation and treatment of acute low back pain. American Family Physician. 2007;75(8):1181–1188.
- Machado LAC, Kamper SJ, Herbert RD, et al. Analgesic effects of treatments for non-specific low back pain: a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials. Rheumatology. 2009;48(5):520–527.
- National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders. Handout on Health: Back Pain. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders Web site. Accessed at www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/back_pain/default.asp on April 11, 2012.
- Oliphant D. Safety of spinal manipulation in the treatment of lumbar disk herniations: a systematic review and risk assessment. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2004;27(3):197–210.
- Rubinstein SM, van Middelkoop M, Assendelft WJ, et al. Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(2):CD008112. Accessed at www.thecochranelibrary.com on April 11, 2012.
- Santaguida PL, Gross A, Busse J, et al. Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Back Pain Utilization Report. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment no. 177. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2009. AHRQ publication no. 09–E006.
- van Tulder MW, Koes B, Malmivaara A. Outcome of non-invasive treatment modalities on back pain: an evidence-based review. European Spine Journal. 2006;15(suppl 1):S64–S81.
