Low back pain affects most people in their lives. Low back pain is one of the major causes of lost ability to work, play and perform other activities of daily living. It costs individuals and national health services huge amounts of monetary resources, lost productivity and most of all simple suffering.

The Medical Research Council based in the UK performed a study which they published in two parts in the British Medical Journal (1990 & 1995). The first part of the study published in 1990 looked at the short term benefits of chiropractic treatment for low back pain as compared to physiotherapy treatment for low back pain.

The authors of this first study concluded:

“For patients with low back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management. The benefit is seen mainly in those with chronic or severe pain. Introducing chiropractic into NHS practice should be considered”.

The same authors continued this research study and published their follow-up report in the BMJ in 1995 and concluded:

“At three years the results confirm the findings of an earlier report that when chiropractic or hospital therapists treat patients with low back pain as they would in day to day practice those treated by chiropractic derive more benefit and long term satisfaction than those treated by hospitals”.

Chiropractors and physiotherapists often work together to combine their skills to bring the greatest benefit to their low back pain patients.

low back pain hemel

Low back pain of mechanical origin: randomised comparison of chiropractic and hospital outpatient treatment.

T W Meade, S Dyer, W Browne, J Townsend, A O Frank

BMJ 1990;300:1431

Randomised comparison of chiropractic and hospital outpatient management for low back pain: results from extended follow up

T W Meade, Sandra Dyer, Wendy Browne, A O Frank

BMJ 1995;311:349