One of the Leading Causes of Disability In the World

Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability globally (1). In the US military, it is the most common reason members seek medical care (2). For many, it can cause limitations to daily function and can have a big impact on mental health (3). Do you or a loved one experience low back pain? This is an important article that can make the world of difference to you.
 
“The direct cost of back pain in the US in 2010 were $34 billion” (4)
 
Common medical therapies for low back pain, which include the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, opioids, spinal fusions, and epidural steroid injections, have been demonstrated to have limited effectiveness (5-7). About 30% of adults in the US with spinal pain have used chiropractic care (8), but can it help manage low back pain and are there benefits?

In a recent research literature, where they were looking at changes to pain and disability among US service members with low back pain, 750 members were enrolled for the study. The members were put into 2 groups, one group only received the usual medical care for low back pain, while the other group received the usual medical care along with chiropractic care as well. The group which also received chiropractic care resulted in moderate short-term treatment benefits in both low back pain intensity and disability and led to high patient satisfaction and perceived improvements (9). This study did have some limitations as it only followed up with the participants for 12 weeks, so it was relatively short term, and further research is needed to assess longer term outcomes. But it can be seen that chiropractic may be of benefit along with the usual medical therapies to help manage low back pain.
 
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.
 
“Improving your overall function and pain levels is important for your overall quality of life”
 
 
 
1.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.
2. Clark LL,Hu Z. Diagnoses of low back pain, active component, U.S. Armed Forces,2010-2014.MSMR.2015;22 (12):8-11.
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. Gaskin DJ, Richard P.The economic costs of pain in the United States.JPain.2012;13(8):715-724.
5. Deyo RA, Mirza SK, Turner JA, Martin  BI. Overtreating chronic back pain:time to back off? JAmBoardFam Med. 2009;22(1):62-68.
6.Manchikanti L, Knezevic NN, Boswell MV, Kaye AD, Hirsch JA. Epidural injections for lumbar radiculopathy and spinal stenosis: a comparative systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain Physician. 2016;19(3):E365-E410.
7. Machado GC, Maher CG, Ferreira PH, Day RO, Pinheiro MB, Ferreira ML. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for spinal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017;76(7):1269-1278.
8. Weeks WB, Goertz CM, Meeker WC, et al. Public perceptions of doctors of chiropractic: Results of a national survey and examination of variation according to respondents’ likelihood to use chiropractic, experience with chiropractic, and chiropractic supply in local health care markets. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2015;38:33–544. 
9. Goertz, C.M., Long, C.R., Vining, R.D., Pohlman, K.A., Walter, J. and Coulter, I., 2018. Effect of usual medical care plus chiropractic care vs usual medical care alone on pain and disability among US service members with low back pain: a comparative effectiveness clinical trial. JAMA network open, 1(1), pp.e180105-e180105.