Bottom Line:

So, you’ve got back pain. It’s altered your life, changed your daily activities, curbed your exercise, and maybe even made you a bit irritable. Now what? Well, it's important to know you’re not alone. Nearly everyone will experience back pain at some point in their life. Thankfully we have a method of care to help you get back on your feet without the risks associated with medications and surgery. Chiropractic! Research has shown that adjustments help over 90% of people recover from back pain.

Why it Matters:

Recovering from a back injury can be mentally tough. Many of us don’t realise what we take for granted until an injury alters our perspective. But with the correct evidence-based care, you will be back and better than ever in no time. Over the past few years, there have been considerable advancements in our understanding of the best treatments for back pain. Here are a few of the latest research updates:

-        Adjustments have been shown to be more effective at reducing pain than many commonly prescribed medications.

-        Chiropractic adjustments provided more patients with relief than spinal injections, showed a recent study from JMPT.

-        Researchers found patients had just as much relief with Chiropractic adjustments as they did with surgery.  

Next Steps:

When recovering from a back injury, it’s important to keep a positive attitude, stick with your care plan, and avoid “pushing” through the pain. Your body is designed to heal naturally, without the need for drugs and surgery. Our Chiropractic team will work with your body’s natural healing instinct to create a specific care plan to help you get your life back.

Science Source:  Symptomatic MRI-Confirmed Lumbar Disk Herniation Patients: A Comparative Effectiveness Prospective Observational Study of 2 Age- and Sex-Matched Cohorts Treated with Either High-Velocity, Low Amplitude Spinal Manipulative Therapy or Imaging-Guided Lumbar Nerve Root Injections. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2013

Manipulation or Microdiskectomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2010

Spinal High-Velocity Low Amplitude Manipulation in Acute Nonspecific Low Back Pain. SPINE. 2013

Dr. Ryno Tope is a Doctor of Chiropractic, a member of the New Zealand Chiropractic Association, and owner of Structural Chiropractic in Hastings and Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay. Dr. Tope focuses on an area of chiropractic called Structural Correction and has been in practice for 10 years. You can reach Dr. Tope at drryno@structuralchiro.co.nz or 06•651•1004. You can also follow the Structural Chiropractic Facebook page (www.facebook.com/StructuralChiropracticHB).