According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), 80 percent of adults will experience lower back pain at some point in their life. The severity of this pain can range from minor to debilitating.

Receiving proper treatment is essential for pain relief and for restored mobility and quality of life. Medical treatments and chiropractic care can play a role in relieving back pain. In fact, merging traditional medical procedures with chiropractic adjustment may be one of the most effective treatments to relieve lower back pain.

Temecula, CA chiropractor Nathen Horst would like to look at a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in May of 2018. It reveals the effectiveness of combined medical treatment and chiropractic adjustment for people struggling with lower back pain.

About the Study

Researchers designed the study to determine if chiropractic care combined with traditional medical treatment would result in more effective treatment of lower back pain.

The measured treatment time for all participants was six weeks. By the end of this time, the participants were asked to rate their satisfaction of low back treatment from a scale of 0 (not satisfied at all) to 10 (extremely satisfied).

The study was conducted by Dr. Christine M. Goertz, Dr. Cynthia R. Long, Dr. Robert D. Vining, Dr. Katherine A. Pohlman, Dr. Joan Walter, and Dr. Ian Coulter

The Participants of the Study

The participants in the study were 750 active-duty U.S. military personnel suffering from low back pain. They were between the ages of 18 and 50, with a mean participant age of 30.9 years old. Of these participants, 575 were male and 175 were female.

Of this group, 375 participants received regular medical care for low back pain while 375 received normal medical care combined with chiropractic adjustment.

Low Back Treatment Types in the Study

Traditional medical treatment of lower back pain included self-management advice from doctors, drugs for pain management, physical therapy, and/or referral to a pain clinic.

Chiropractic adjustment for lower back pain included spine manipulation targeting the low back and adjacent regions of the body. In the six-week period, up to 12 chiropractic adjustments were performed.

The Results of the Study

By the end of the study, the researchers found that chiropractic care, when added to usual medical care, resulted in moderate short-term improvements in the treatment of low back pain. This included reduced intensity and disability of low back pain, and improved wellness for the active-duty military personnel who participated in the study.

What to Make of the Study’s Conclusions

This study ultimately supports the inclusion of chiropractic adjustment in the treatment and management of low back pain since the short-term benefits are notable. That said, more research needs to be done to quantify the long-term benefits of combined medical and chiropractic care in the treatment of low back pain.

If you are currently undergoing medical treatment for back, neck, or spinal cord problems, supplementing these procedures with chiropractic adjustment can be helpful to you.

Learn More about Chiropractic Adjustment

For more information about relieving back and neck pain, be sure to contact an experienced chiropractor. We are here to help you. Horst Chiropractic can be reached by phone at (951) 693-2208.