Chiropractic Care For Low Back Pain

Chiropractic is a health care discipline concerned with the relationship between the musculoskeletal and neuroskeletal systems. Its goal is to improve patient health by correcting joint subluxation. Subluxation is defined as the presence of an abnormal motion of an articular joint, such as the spine. This aberrant motion is believed to cause pain and inflammation of the joint capsule. Read more about the Chiropractic Services here.

 

In addition to manual manipulation, chiropractors also use a variety of physical modalities such as massage, electric stimulation, and stretching. Physical modalities are used to treat pain, reduce inflammation, and restore function. Those modalities may be considered adjunctive to chiropractic treatment, but must be appropriate for the diagnosis and must supplement manipulation.

 

A randomized clinical trial compared chiropractic plus physical therapy with chiropractic alone for chronic low back pain. The authors analyzed 681 patients who were randomized to receive chiropractic care with or without physical modalities. Among the subjects, 60% had baseline episodes of back pain for more than 3 months. The researchers measured changes in pain intensity and disability during the initial week of the study and after six months of follow-up.

 

The primary outcome variables were average low back pain intensity in the past week, average low back pain intensity during the treatment period, and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, which is a questionnaire to assess low back pain-related disability. Treatment and baseline pain had the strongest impact on the outcomes. Although the investigator who assessed clinical outcomes was not blind to the group assignment, the study was small, and the durability of the findings was not fully assessed.

 

Two studies investigated the effects of chiropractic maintenance care on pain-related disability and dizziness. Both studies showed improvements in pain-related disability, balance, and dizziness. However, the results from the two studies were similar, and further study is necessary to determine whether these findings are generalizable to other practices.

 

Using a randomized controlled pilot study, Haas et al (2004) studied the effects of chiropractic treatments on 72 patients with chronic low back pain. The results showed that short regimens of chiropractic adjustments were associated with a reduction in disability. The researchers concluded that this short-term benefit cannot be ruled out for some patients.

 

Another study compared chiropractic to manual lumbar manipulation in patients with chronic low back pain. Among the 72 participants, 60 % had episodes of low back pain that were lasting more than three months. The Activator Adjusting Instrument was used by one participant, while the other participant received spinal manipulation. View here for more info about the Meridian Chiropractic Services.

 

Activator and ProAdjuster are spinal adjusting instruments that use piezoelectric sensing heads to provide rapid and precise percussion taps on the vertebrae. They produce 0.3 Joules of kinetic energy, which is intended to induce relative movement of the vertebrae.

 

For patients who have no symptoms, preventive chiropractic manipulation can be initiated. If the patient does not improve after 30 days of treatment, the chiropractor will modify the treatment regimen. This approach can promote good health, help prevent future problems, and reduce pain. For a general overview of this topic, you may need to check out this post: https://www.britannica.com/science/chiropractic.