Chronic Low Back pain in Asheville NC

Posted by Dr. Mathew Stockstad

Back pain is considered Chronic when it has been present for more than 3 months. It does not mean that the pain has to be excruciating or constant. For many the pain will come and go and vary from being able to ignore it to being so intense that it becomes debilitating The fact is that Chronic back pain is often progressive in terms of frequency and length of time it remains.

So what is the best treatment for Chronic Low Back pain in Asheville NC?

We know there are many options available today. This makes it quite challenging when you are faced with making a decision as to who to who to see.

Fortunitly there was a study that took place over a 4 year time frame which following 2780 patients using questionnaires. Low Back Pain patients were treated using conventional approaches by both MDs (Medical Doctors) and DCs (Doctors of Chiropractic). To facilitate this study, the patient where given the very same questions in order to compared the effectiveness between medical and chiropractic intervention.

Chiropractic treatments included spinal manipulation, physical therapy, an exercise plan, and self-care education.

Medical therapies included prescription drugs, an exercise plan, self-care advice and about 25% of the patients received physical therapy.

The study focused on present pain severity and functional disability (activity interference) measured by questionnaires mailed to the patients.

It was reported that chiropractic was favored over medical treatment in the following areas:

Pain relief in the first 12 months (more evident in the chronic patients)
When LBP pain radiated below the knee (more evident in the chronic patients)
Chronic LBP patients with no leg pain (during the first 3 months)

Acute patients saw the greatest degree of improvement with many achieving symptom relief after 3 months of care.

All patient groups saw significant improvement in both pain and disability over the four year study period.

While both MDs and DCs treatment approaches helped, it's quite clear from the information reported that chiropractic should be utilized first.

These findings support the importance of early intervention by chiropractic physicians and make the most sense for those of you struggling with the question of who to see for your LBP.

We invite you to look at our research blog at Asheville NC chiropractic.

For our "no charge" consultation you can reach us at 828-299-4555