Can a Chiropractor Help My Low Back Pain?

​Low back pain is a common condition, you have around 40% chance you will have this at some point in your life (1) and it is one of the leading causes of disability globally (2). For an individual, low back pain causes limitations to day to day function, impacts mental health, can result in financial hardship and reduces quality of life (3). Do you or a loved one experience low back pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.

“Between 1996 and 2016, health care spending for low back pain and neck pain consistently ranked among the top 5 conditions in the US” (4)

In current research there is an association between trunk muscle strength, balance and endurance with lower back pain. (5,6) Low levels of trunk muscle strength may increase the risk of lower back pain or may also be caused by low back pain through altered activities and/or movements to try to avoid potential pain. (7-9) Our ability to sustain prolonged or repetitive positions or movements can be affected by low back pain. It can also alter neuromuscular system factors that can influence balance as well. (10,11)

In a recent research study, they were looking at active duty US military personnel with low back pain. In this particular study four weeks of chiropractic care resulted in improvements in strength, endurance and balance. There was also moderate short term improvement in low back pain intensity and disability, it also facilitated return to normal functional capacity comparing to the control group who didn’t receive chiropractic care (12). So chiropractic may be a viable option for low back pain management.

If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage low back pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.

“Strength, endurance and balance is vital to our overall functional health”

​REFERENCES

1.Hoy D, Bain C, Williams G, March L, Brooks P, Blyth F, Woolf A, Vos T, Buchbinder R. A Systematic Review of the Global Prevalence of Low Back Pain. Arthritis Rheum. 2012;64:2028-37. 
2. Vos T, Barber RM, Bell B, Bertozzi-Villa A, Biryukov S, Bolliger I, Charlson F. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015;9995:743-800. 
3. Froud R, Patterson S, Eldridge S, Seale C, Pincus T, Rajendran D, Fossum C, Underwood M. A systematic review and meta-synthesis of the impact of low back pain on people’s lives. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord. 2014;15:50.
4.Dieleman JL, Cao J, Chapin A, et al. US health care spending by payer and health condition, 1996–2016. JAMA 2020;323:863–884. 
5. Wunderlin S, Roos L, Roth R, et al. Trunk muscle strength tests to predict injuries, attrition and military ability in soldiers. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2015;55:535–543. 
6. Honkanen T, Kyro ̈ la ̈ inen H, Avela J, Ma ̈ ntysaari M. Functional test measures as risk indicators for low back pain among fixed-wing military pilots. J R Army Med Corps 2017;163:31–34. 
7.Steele J, Bruce-Low S, Smith D. A reappraisal of the de- conditioning hypothesis in low back pain: Review of evi- dence from a triumvirate of research methods on specific lumbar extensor deconditioning. Curr Med Res Opin 2014; 30:865–911. 
8. Evans K, Refshauge KM, Adams R. Trunk muscle endur- ance tests: Reliability, and gender differences in athletes. J Sci Med Sport 2007;10:447–455. 
9. de Sousa CS, de Jesus FLA, Machado MB, et al. Lower limb muscle strength in patients with low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2019;19:69–78. 
10.Ham YW, Kim DM, Baek JY, et al. Kinematic analyses of trunk stability in one leg standing for individuals with re- current low back pain. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2010;20: 1134–1140. 
11. Lee DC, Ham YW, Sung PS. Effect of visual input on normalized standing stability in subjects with recurrent low back pain. Gait Posture 2012;36:580–585. 
12.Kamper, S.J., Logan, G., Copsey, B., Thompson, J., Machado, G.C., Abdel-Shaheed, C., Williams, C.M., Maher, C.G. and Hall, A.M., 2020. What is usual care for low back pain? A systematic review of health care provided to patients with low back pain in family practice and emergency departments. Pain, 161(4), pp.694-702.