At least once a month a patient currently under treatment asks about spinal decompression after they have seen a full page ad in the paper touting amazing results. Does spinal decompression work?
Yes, it works for some people. The problem is that it is essentially just expensive traction (treatment plans range from $2-9000), which has not yet been shown to be very effective, certainly not 86% as most of the ad’s claim. A literature review published in the Journal of Chiropractic and Osteopathy concluded:
“There is very limited evidence in the scientific literature to support the effectiveness of non-surgical spinal decompression therapy. This intervention has never been compared to exercise, spinal manipulation, standard medical care or other less expensive conservative treatment options which have an ample body of research demonstrating efficacy. Considering the cost-benefit relationship, many better researched and less expensive treatment options are available to the clinician.”
For effective proven pain relief call your San Francisco Chiropractor.
A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, “Low Back Pain and Best Practice Care” found that “The usual care provided by GPs for LBP does not match the care endorsed in international evidence-based guidelines and may not provide the best outcomes for patients. This situation has not improved over time. The unendorsed care may contribute to the high costs of managing LBP, and some aspects of the care provided carry a higher risk of adverse effects.”
This is quite alarming considering how many people present every year to their GP hoping to get some good advice. At our office we recommend procedures with the latest research and guidelines in mind. We can refer you to other specialists if need be. Call your San Francisco Chiropractor to find out about the most proven treatment for lower back pain
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine
Fresh of the presses the Jan 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Rehabilitation is a study comparing chiropractic manipulation, physical therapy and back school. Supporting earlier positive studies the author’s concluded, “Spinal manipulation provided better short and long-term functional improvement, and more pain relief in the follow-up than either back school or individual physiotherapy”.
Combine this with more recent studies demonstrating the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care and you’ve got a winning combination. What are you waiting for? Call your San Francisco Chiropractor.
A study published in the July issue of Spine reaffirmed several earlier studies concluding, “Both orthopedic surgeons’ and family physicians’ knowledge of treating lower back pain is deficient”. When given a survey testing knowledge of simple lower back pain management orthopedists average score was 44.3 out of 100.
At our office we only recommend care based on evidence based guidelines. Given the above study’s conclusions you may want to consult your San Francisco Chiropractor before seeking the advice of a medical physician.
The UK’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence in May released guidelines for treating lower back pain.
The first recommendation is to promote self-management. This means to suggest to patients with LBP to exercise and try to continuing doing ones normal activity, as much as possible. The next one is pain medication – first acetaminophen (unfortunately this has also been proven to increase the risk of cardiovascular events). The final recommendation is exercise or manual therapy (i.e. spinal manipulation) or acupuncture.
Another interesting feature is what the guidelines proscribe. All of the following are treatments/diagnostic tests that are NOT allowed (because they either don’t work or aren’t needed):
Medical/Surgical treatments
SSRIs for pain management
Facet injections
Radiofrequency facet joint denervation
IDET (Intradiscal Electrothermal Annuloplasty)
PIRFT (Percutaneous Intradiscal Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation)
Diagnostic tests:
Plain film x-ray under any circumstances
MRI to be offered only to rule out red flags or for surgical referral.
People always call our office and ask if they should see their doctor first before consulting me. Unfortunately it is very likely that your health care provider will ignore these and all other guidelines and do what they have always done, even if the scientific evidence indicate it is not effective.
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