Twelve Studies Supporting Chiropractic for Back Pain
Chiropractic can be a great way to improve your health and recover from various forms of pain. Over the years, many studies have been published in medical literature showing that chiropractic is an effective and beneficial choice for patients suffering from acute or chronic back pain.
1. The AMA Recommends Chiropractic Before Surgery
Surgery always carries risk and should be avoided, if possible. This landmark article from the JAMA recommends that patients should try chiropractic before resorting to surgical intervention.
2. Again, Chiropractic May Help You Avoid Surgery
This study from the journal Spine found that patients who used chiropractors were less likely to have surgery for their back pain.
3. Chiropractic Can Be Better than Drugs
Another study from Spine found that chiropractic patients had better outcomes than patients who used medications for their back pain.
4. Chiropractic May Prevent Future Cases of Back Pain
In this study, researchers found that chiropractic helped prevent back pain in patients with work-related injuries.
5. Chiropractic May Save You Money
A study that compared chiropractic to medical care found that chiropractic patients spent less on health care than medical patients.
6. Chiropractic Can Be More Effective than Epidural Injections for Disc Herniations
This 2013 study found that back pain patients had better outcomes and lower health care costs with chiropractic than those who had epidural injections for spinal disc herniations.
7. Chiropractic Can Be Effective for Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Dysfunction of the sacroiliac (SI) joint can cause severe back pain and sciatica. This study reports a 72% success rate for patients who use chiropractic for SI joint pain.
8. Chiropractic Gets Athletes Back In the Game
Back pain is a common sports injury. A study from the journal Sports Health compared various treatments including several different medications, acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, laser treatments, ultrasound, and cold/heat therapy. Out of all those treatments, chiropractic adjustments and heat therapy produced the strongest clinical benefits with the least amount of side effects.
9. Chiropractic Shows Relatively Low Risk for Adverse Effects
The prestigious medical journal Spine found that chiropractic is a low-risk choice for back pain patients.
10. Chiropractic Beneficial for Back Pain in Pregnancy
Many pregnant women suffer from back pain, and regular medical treatments or drugs can be unsafe. This 2006 study found that chiropractic is a safe and effective way to relieve the symptoms of back pain during this important time.
11. Chiropractic Helps Older Patients with Back Pain
As we get older, our spine loses flexibility and we're more likely to develop back pain. This 2013 study found that chiropractic is safe and effective at reducing back pain in older patients.
12. Teens with Back Pain Have Big Improvements with Manual Therapy
A British literature review compared the efficacy of back education, exercise, therapeutic physical conditioning, and manual therapy in 221 teens with back pain. They discovered that exercise and manual therapies led to the biggest improvements in pain, disability, flexibility, endurance, and mental health.
