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Low Back Pain ::
Sooner
or later, an amazing 8 of every 10 people in the United States will
suffer with low back pain. So many people have found relief from
back pain through chiropractic care that chiropractors often are
thought of as back doctors. Of course, they do specialize in care
of the spine, but spinal problems can cause not only back pain but
all sorts of health problems throughout your body. Still, chiropractic
care is indeed effective for back pain. In fact, The US Agency for
Health Care Policy and Research recently appointed a panel of medical
experts who reviewed some 3,900 studies on care for acute low back
pain. The panel rejected bedrest, surgery (except rare cases), injections
into the back, and all oral prescription drugs (such as antidepressants
or steroids). In contrast, they found that spinal manipulation,
which usually is performed by a chiropractor, "can be helpful
for patients with acute low back problems." For pain, they
found over-the-counter medications (aspirin, etc.) worked as well
as prescriptions but with fewer side effects.
There
are fewer studies on long-term chronic back pain than short-term
acute back pain. Still, a recent study in the respected medical
journal, Spine found chiropractic care beneficial for ongoing chronic
back pain. The traditional approach for patients with chronic back
pain has been back pain school to teach patients how to cope and
live with the pain. Chiropractic care was compared to back pain
school in this study, and the chiropractic group did significantly
better. The researchers concluded, "Spinal manipulation is
clinically useful in chronic pain patients who have been suffering
for seven weeks or more."
So
many scientific and government studies have proven the effectiveness
of chiropractic care for back pain that in 1993, the government
of Ontario, in a 216-page study of all available evidence, found
chiropractic care of low back pain superior to medical management
in terms of safety, evidence of effectiveness, evidence of cost,
and patient satisfaction. If you or anyone you know wants to get
the safest, most effective, least expensive, and most satisfying
care for low back pain, consult your chiropractor.
Christopher Connell, "Back Pain," The
Associated Press, December 8, 1994. J. J. Triano, et al., "Manipulative
Therapy Versus Education in Chronic Low Back Pain," 1995, Spine,
Vol. 20, No. 8, pp. 948-955 (as reported by D. Chapman-Smith, September
1995, The Chronic Report, Fumia Publications, Toronto, Canada, Vol.
9, No. 5, p. 6) P. Manga, D. Agnus, et al., (1993) "The Effectiveness
and Cost Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low Back Pain,"
Pran Manga and Associates, University of Ottawa, Canada (as reported
by Chapman-Smith, September 1993, The Chronic Report, Fumia Publications,
Toronto, Vol. 7, No. 6, p. 3).
We
hope you will find this general information helpful. If you need
additional information about the following condition, please call
us at our office during regular business hours, and one of our staff
members will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have.
Our office number is 555-555-5555.
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