Chiropractic Offers The Best Treatment For Acute Lower Pain
Lower back pain is a fact of life for most people around in the world. In the U.S. alone, it plagues half of all working Americans and is the second most common reason to miss work. Fortunately, most back pain is not due to serious conditions, but results from mechanical or non-organic causes such as sport injuries, poor posture, improper lifting, sprains, strains, sleeping in an odd position, or simple movements such as retrieving a pen from the floor. Although the cause may be “minor,” the pain can range from minor to severe and debilitating. As this widespread problem costs $50 billion per year to treat, the push is on to find cost-effective treatment options.
How The Medical Community Treats Acute Lower Back Pain
When you go to a medical doctor for back pain, the physician will rule out serious conditions and suggest nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), perhaps accompanied by applications of ice or heat. He may then try non-benzodiazepine muscle relaxants or even oral diazepam (Valium). If your back pain is not relieved in 4-6 weeks, he may order imaging studies and maybe even a biopsy.
More commonly, he will prescribe physical therapy to strengthen the spine, which has been shown to lessen pain, disability, and rate of recurrence – especially if followed up by physical therapist-directed home exercise programs.
A New Day For Cost-Effective Treatment Of Acute Lower Back Pain
Previously, mainstream medicine wrote off spinal manipulation and chiropractic treatments due to lack of evidence that it works. More recently, there have been studies concerning the efficacy, and even the American Medical Association recommends chiropractic treatment as an option. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, which suggests conservative treatment as the first step in treating back pain, recommends the chiropractic approach as safe, effective, and drugless.
For insurance companies and even for patients who pay for services out of pocket, chiropractic is cost effective. Though office visits can be costly, studies attest that the treatment is as good as or better than traditional therapies when measured in terms of lessened pain, improved functioning, and patient satisfaction.
A Useful Approach For Patients
A typical chiropractic approach includes spinal manipulations, massage, diet, nutritional counseling, and weight loss help. As do medical doctors, chiropractor realize that obesity and lifestyle impact the spine. Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs, which can have an adverse effect on organs. The thinking is that if the spine is properly aligned, the body can heal itself without medication or surgery.
For you, as a patient with back pain, one advantage of spinal manipulations is that you get quick relief. Even if your problem is compounded by obesity or some other condition, you can start to feel better before you tackle the other issues. The psychological effect of feeling better can spur you on to lose weight, exercise, and eat better.
Try Chiropractic For Yourself
At Raintree Medical and Chiropractic Center, we have testimonials from our clients that reinforce how effectively we treat back pain. Schedule an appointment today to see for yourself how chiropractic treatment can relieve your acute lower back pain.