LOW BACK PAIN

Chiropractic and Low Back Pain

Yes, Chiropractic can help with Back Pain!

Are you suffering from back pain? Or have a stubborn partner or a loved one who keeps complaining about their back pain but doesn’t know who to go to for help. Are you looking for a natural means of addressing your back pain without using drugs or surgery? If you’re on this page, there’s a good chance that you fall in one of these categories. If so, you’ve come to the right place! Chiropractic helps back pain.

Low back pain is a very common condition. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 4 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems and that 70-90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form in some point in their lives. It is also the 2nd leading cause of disease burden overall in Australia in 2015 (4.1% of Australia’s total disease burden).¹

Research shows that back pain is one of the most prevalent diseases to people in developed countries, affecting between 75 and up to 85 percent of individuals at some point in their life. It is a costly condition to an individual who is unable to work, sleep, exercise. It is a costly condition to industry as workers take time off or have decreased productivity due to their back pain.

Many studies have concluded that manual therapies (i.e. the use of hands) applied by Chiropractors are generally effective in treating people with lower back pain.

A study published in JAMA Network Open⁴, where 750 active-duty US Military personnel complaining of back pain received chiropractic care, resulted in:
- Reported less pain intensity,
- Experienced less disability and more improvement in function,
- Reported higher satisfaction with their treatment,
- Needed less pain medications.
A study published in the Spine Journal, reported that better results came from manipulation of the spine (techniques applied by chiropractors) compared to mobilisations (techniques applied by osteopaths and physiotherapists) in reducing pain and improving function⁶.

Common Presentations of Back Pain

Here is a list of common symptoms that people with low back pain present at our office:

Sharp or dull, achy pain in the lower back,
Restrictions in squatting, bending or turning, especially in putting on underwear, socks or shoes,
Numbness, pins and needles or ‘ants crawling’ on the leg,
Shooting or electric shock-like pain down the back of the leg,
Pain turning in bed, disrupting sleep and unable to get quality sleep,
Back pain that affects simple home activities, e.g. Washing dishes, mowing lawn, turning to reverse car/vehicle,
Back pain affecting exercise or sports activities, e.g. running, walking, etc.
Back pain resulting in sick days from work.

People being told they had:

Sciatica
Disc injury, e.g. slipped disc, disc bulge, disc herniation,
Osteoarthritis or arthritis,
Sprain or strain,
Scoliosis,
Or Fibromyalgia.

They’ve been told to take painkillers, rest and wait, or go to a Physiotherapist.

How can Chiropractic help with Back Pain?

The Chiropractors at Meadows Life Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre can help assess, diagnose and manage your back pain.

Assessment includes:

Getting a history of your back pain experience, i.e. Frequency, severity, duration and character.
Physical examination: Range and quality of motion in your Back,
Neurological assessment: Checking balance, reflexes, sensation, etc.
Diagnostic imaging: x-rays/radiographic imaging of the whole spine to determine the shape of the spine and health of the spinal bones and joints.

Your Chiropractor can then diagnose your back pain and provide appropriate recommendations with:

Chiropractic care, applying manual or low-force techniques,
Lifestyle modifications and education,
Workstation and ergonomic setup
Referral and co-management.

If you suffer from back pain, sick of taking muscle relaxants and painkillers and would like to know if chiropractic can help, call our office on 9315 8888. We’re here to help.

Are you ready to make an appointment?

Our aim is to help you get the care you need. With a thorough examination on the first visit, we can find out if we can help you with chiropractic.

We will help you understand your condition and create a customised plan of care for you. Then once you’ve achieved the necessary improvements, we will advise on how to maintain these changes.

Call us today on 9315 8888 or click here to book online! We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

References:

National Institute of Health and Welfare, ‘Back Problems’
Rubinstein SM, van Middelkoop M, et. al, “Spinal manipulative therapy for chronic low-back pain,” Cochrane Database Syst Rev (2): CD008112. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008112.pub2. PMID 21328304.
Bronfort G, DC, PhD, et al. “Effectiveness of manual therapies: the UK evidence report,” Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010, 18:3.
Goertz CM, Long CR, Vining RD, Pohlman KA, Walter J, Coulter I. 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 Netw Open. 2018;1(1):e180105. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0105
Senna MK, Machaly SA. Does maintained spinal manipulation therapy for chronic nonspecific low back pain result in better long-term outcome? Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Aug 15;36(18):1427-37. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181f5dfe0. PMID: 21245790.
Coulter ID, Crawford C, Hurwitz EL, Vernon H, Khorsan R, Suttorp Booth M, Herman PM. Manipulation and mobilization for treating chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J. 2018 May;18(5):866-879. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.01.013. Epub 2018 Jan 31. PMID: 29371112; PMCID: PMC6020029.

Addressing The Cause

Our intention at Meadows Life Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre is to help you address the Cause of the Symptoms that you may present with. We look for and correct the underlying shifts in the spine that is responsible for these symptoms through chiropractic adjustments and providing appropriate advice on exercises and lifestyle changes.

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