We see many back pain patients in our Nashville practice, and Sweeney Chiropractic has helped many of them find relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, recovering from back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great success.
In a report published by the journal Spine investigators1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute soreness and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder were given chiropractic care along with standard medical care, as the authors wanted to determine which patients fared better.
The authors determined that the patients who got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.
Thus, incorporating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medical approaches can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical therapy.
Although it might seem as if each approach plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study done at UCLA2 that was published in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than patients undergoing medical treatment.
According to the experts, the main aspects that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors tend to spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can improve their health on their own, as well as discussing more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.
Certainly, the strategies associated with chiropractic are quite different than those offered with medical treatment, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. In contrast to focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means finding the root cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.
Furthermore, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from drugs and more permanent recovery.
You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health issues. Give our Nashville clinic a call today at (615) 331-7040. We'll work to help you get and stay free from back pain.
References
Dr. Jim Sweeney & Dr. Jon Sweeney, your Nashville Chiropractors and Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduates, provide quality chiropractic care to patients in Nashville, TN. If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, headache, sciatica or have been in an auto collision, Sweeney Chiropractic can get you back on the road to health.
