Managing the Problem of Low Back Pain
How common is low back pain?
- Consumer report 1994 stated 80% of the population will suffer Low back pain in their lifetime
- Over 40 million Americans have chronic back pain, 2nd only to childbirth as the most most common reason for hospitalization
- U.S. 10x more disc operations than any other country.
Fact - Back problems are very common.
Costs
- Lowback pain costs have escalated from 1985-present costing billions of dollars.
- Back surgery has an estimated average cost of $27,000.
- A 1995 a study by US Dept. of Commerce compared Chiropractic care to Non-Surgical medical treatment.
- Chiropractic was only 1/10th of the cost.
Fact - Chiropractic care saves money.
Results speak through research journals
- Rand study showed adjustments to the spine to be the most effective treatment for most lowback problems.
- Journal of American Health Policy showed increase chiropractic access = decrease costs.
- British Medical Journal 10 year study showed more effective care, lower cost, and longer lasting benefit.
- AHCPR Federal agency and US Dept. of Health and Human services.
Proven Methods: Patient Education, NSAID’s, and Spinal Adjustments.
Conditions that can be managed with chiropractic care?
- misalignments of spinal bones
- restricted motion in joints
- ligament and disc sprains
- pinched and irritated nerves
What is Chiropractic?
A natural, drug free approach to help the body function at optimum health through biomechanical correction and alignment of the spine and body. It’s about getting the body back in alignment and stabilizing the joints and muscles.
What would a typical visit be like in a chiropractic office?
- History- Details of the problems, History of any trauma and the mechanism of injury, comprehensive History of contributing factors (including past, and family history), and activity level assessment (work, exercise, social and lifestyle history)
- Examination-Blood pressure, vital signs, posture, range of motion testing (flexibility), muscle strength testing, and orthopedic and neurological testing.
- X-rays- Pictures of the spine to determine spinal bone misalignment, and degeneration (osteoarthritis), fractures, or pathology. This is very valuable as another test to help rule out more serious conditions and to check for biomechanical changes in the spine.
- Special tests may be necessary in more complicated cases and referred out. These may include:
o MRI
o NCV
o EMG
Summary
Low Back Pain is very common and in most cases respond well to chiropractic care. Costs and safety of chiropractic care exceed all other forms of care for acute lowback pain. Regular chiropractic spinal adjustments are part of a healthy lifestyle and can save you time, money and a lot of pain. It’s your choice.
