Back pain patients chiropractic therapy: new research
Published on 16 April 2013
Back Pain Treatment Hemel Hempstead
The addition of chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care may be beneficial for patients with acute low back pain, new research suggests.
Scientists at the Palmer Centre for Chiropractic Research in Davenport, US, studied a group of 18 to 35-year-old military personnel with low back pain.
Half of the participants received standard medical care, while the others also underwent chiropractic therapy.
After four weeks of treatment, patients were assessed to see if there was any change in their back pain and physical function.
The researchers found that both treatment groups experienced improved physical functioning, but that patients who saw a chiropractor tended to enjoy better results after two and four weeks.
Chiropractic patients also typically experienced greater improvements in their levels of back pain than those who received standard medical care alone.
Publishing their findings in the journal Spine, the study authors noted that there is currently no consensus on the best approach to treating low back pain, which is a “significant” cause of long-term sick leave.
“The results of this trial suggest that chiropractic manipulative therapy in conjunction with standard medical care offers a significant advantage for decreasing pain and improving physical functioning, when compared with only standard care, for men and women between 18 and 35 years of age with acute low back pain,”
Spine:15 April 2013 – Volume 38 – Issue 8 – p 627–634
doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e31827733e7
Randomized Trial
