by Frank E. Kaden, D.C. Chiropractic, Inc.
We see a number of back pain patients in our Redondo Beach practice, and Dr. Kaden has been able to help a lot of them get relief with chiropractic. However, dealing with back problems doesn’t necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical care, as many individuals use both types of care with great results.
Research Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well with Each Other
In a report published by the journal Spine investigators1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who were suffering from both acute soreness and restricted function due to back symptoms. Some of the study participants received treatment via standard medical care, while the rest received chiropractic care together with regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which patients fared better.
Researchers observed that the group that got standard medical care along with chiropractic care scored “significantly better” than the patients who got medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.
Thus, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you–the patient–offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique strengths over medical therapy.
Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead
Although it may seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic care has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study conducted at UCLA2 that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health reports that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.
According to the researchers, the main aspects that patients liked over medical care were “self-care advice and explanation of treatment.” This isn’t surprising, as chiropractors frequently spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as outlining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Offers a Non-Invasive Approach
Without a doubt, the strategies associated with chiropractic are quite different than those provided with medical therapy, but a great deal of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic involves finding the primary cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.
In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic care. This means fewer negative responses to prescriptions and lasting results.
You don’t have to suffer from back pain or other health problems. Give our Redondo Beach office a call today at (310) 251-0862. We’ll do our best to help you get and stay free from back pain.
References
- Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
- Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.
