Benefits of Chiropractic Care over Opioids

 This is a short video from the Illinois Chiropractic Society on the benefits of chiropractic care over opioids.

CHIROPRACTIC SAVES (OPIOID CRISIS)

Signs Point to Greater Access to Chiropractic for Service Members, Civilian Beneficiaries

 The Department of Defense has conducted several demonstration projects designed to examine the cost and feasibility of chiropractic healthcare services for its beneficiaries. The results of these projects have concluded that it is feasible to implement chiropractic services as part of the military health care benefit, and the resulting patient satisfaction is higher than that seen with traditional medical care. 

Signs Point to Greater Access to Chiropractic for Service Members, Civilian Beneficiaries

Muscle Relaxants vs. Manipulations for LBP

 Newer better studies show that relaxant drugs have no good evidence of effectiveness for low back pain, while having possible significant

adverse effects especially for people operating machinery. Multiple clinical trials have found that skeletal muscle relaxants are associated with 50 percent more total adverse events and 104 percent more central nervous system adverse events than placebo.

A recent randomized controlled trial showed that spinal manipulation as commonly practiced by doctors of chiropractic had significantly more effect on pain reduction that muscle relaxants or placebo.

Muscle Relaxants vs. Manipulations for LBP

The Nordic Maintenance Care program

These results from the recently published Nordic Maintenance Care study showed that patients that received regular chiropractic maintenance care had less days with bothersome low back pain over 52 weeks pain than patients who were just treated when they had pain episodes.
The Nordic Maintenance Care program

Expanding the VA Chiropractic Residency

The Veteran's Administration has operated a chiropractic residency program at five VA hospitals since 2016. They are now expanding the program to five more hospitals. This will give these DC's skills to practice in hospital and other medical settings.
Do you see benefit in chiropractors treating patients in the hospital?
https://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php…Expanding the VA Chiropractic Residency

Back pain one of leading causes of disability

It is easy for some who have never had a severe or chronic back disorder to think it is not a serious problem, maybe because back disorders do not kill anyone...well at least not directly. The reality is that low back and neck disorders are the 2nd most common cause of disability in the developed countries after ischemic heart disease, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study published in the Lancet.
Does this surprise anyone?How Back Pain Took Over the WorldB

Using chiropractors to reduce lower back pain

Here is a recent video interview of a professor from Logan Chiropractic College. He notes that the average age of the onset of back disorders is 32 and unfortunately the average age to begin chiropactic care is 47. He also mentions the recent study showing that in a chiropractic treatment group there was a 49% reduction in opioid use.
Using chiropractors to reduce lower back pain

Low back pain is number 1 cause of disability worldwide

This Annals of Rheumatic Diseases six year study looked at 117 previous studies and the health and disability data from 187 countries. Overall, out of 291 conditions studied, low back pain was at the top in terms of years lost to disability. The researchers estimate that this problem will increase in the coming decades. As such, the team warns governments and health services to take the issue more seriously than they have in the past.
Do you think this is good advice?
Low back pain is number 1 cause of disability worldwide

Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Back Care Cut Opioid Use, Costs

A recent study in Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open concluded that adding increased chiropractic and physical therapy coverage and other non drug services to insurance plans gave better outcomes, decreased costs, and reduced opioid use.

Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Back Care Cut Opioid Use, Costs

The problem with MRIs for low back pain

It seems to make sense that more medical testing gives better results, yet studies have shown that imaging for low back pain does not improve one’s pain, function, or quality of life. One of the big negatives with imaging is that there is a high amount of false negatives, which are incidental findings that do not cause symptoms, and this many times leads to unneeded further testing and failed treatments including surgeries.
So it is counter-intuitive but sometimes less testing is better.
The problem with MRIs for low back pain

Senate Introduces Bill to Expand Chiropractic Access to Military Retirees, National Guard

Senate Introduces Bill to Expand Chiropractic Access to Military Retirees, National Guard

Spinal Manipulation Plus Exercise Effective for Teen Low Back Pain

A new study published in the July issue of the PAIN Journal showed that twelve weeks of spinal manipulative therapy (adjustments) combined with exercise therapy is more effective than exercise therapy alone over a one-year period for adolescents with chronic low back pain. 
Does this surpise anyone?
Spinal Manipulation Plus Exercise Effective for Teen Low Back Pain

Do Epidural Steroid Injections Help Lower Back Pain?

This is a recent review study from the Annals of Internal Medicine of 30 previous epidural steroid injection studies. It showed only mild temporay benefit overall and no benefit for spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spine).“ESIs are high cost, low value health care,” said Terri Lewis, Ph.D, who is an expert of rehabilitation medicine.
Do you think it would be rational to use more conservative treatments for these patients such as chiropractic and/or physical therapy?

http://nationalpainreport.com/do-epidural-steroid-injections-help-lower-back-pain-8827256.html

http://www.momtastic.com/pregnancy/741011-how-to-get-relief-from-sciatic-pain-in-pregnancy-without-using-medications/

Yes, chiropractors and physical therapists treat pregnant woman...for sciatica and many other lumbar and spine disorders. Chiropractic care is especially valuable in this setting as the desire to limit the mother and child from x-ray radiation exposure, drugs, injections, and other dangerous treatment options is shared by all providers.
Many women who are referred to me by obstreticians are surprised that chiropractors treat pregnant woman. 
Have you heard of this?
http://www.momtastic.com/pregnancy/741011-how-to-get-relief-from-sciatic-pain-in-pregnancy-without-using-medications/

Lower Back Pain Relief: Treatments That Really Work

A new article in Readers Digest entitled "Lower Back 
Relief Treatments That Really Work" recommends chiropractic care, physical therapy and several other conservative professions and treatments.
Do you think these are good recommendations?
Lower Back Pain Relief: Treatments That Really Work

What Does Research Reveal About Chiropractic Costs?

To date approximately 30 studies have looked at the cost of including chiropractic care and/or spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) within workers’ compensation, other healthcare delivery systems or multi-disciplinary clinics. The available evidence consistently shows that patients with low back and neck pain who are treated by chiropractors have either similar or lower costs than those seeking care from other providers.
Does this surprise anyone?
What Does Research Reveal About Chiropractic Costs?

New report warns of widespread ineffectiveness of lower back pain treatments

Good Morning America recently ran a segment concerning the 3 papers just published in the Lancet medical journal. These papers state that much of the treatment of low back pain is not based on current research and is ineffective. The papers analyzed the evidence and recommends as a first line activity, superficial heat, spinal manipulation (94% of which is performed by chiropractors), massage, and acupuncture. 
Does this sound like good recommendations to you?

New report warns of widespread ineffectiveness of lower back pain treatments

7 Ways To Prevent Lower Back Pain

Recent issue of the Harvard Health Letter states "For back sprains, strains, and herniated discs, a visit to your primary care physician or chiropractor may be all it takes to feel better. Make that initial call if back pain is interfering with your day." Also "A well-trained chiropractor will sort out whether you should be in their care or the care of a physical therapist or medical doctor." 
Do you think this is good advice?Where to turn for low back pain relief

Chiropractic Services Relieve Low Back Pain in Female Veterans: Study Legislation to expand access to chiropractic in the VA gains new momentum

A new study finds that female veterans—one of the fastest growing populations receiving treatment through the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system—experience improvement in low back pain with a course of chiropractic care.
Two more representatives have joined forces to broaden the range of services and care options available to veterans by supporting the Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act (H.R. 103). The bill—supported by several major veterans groups—would require chiropractic services to be offered at all VA medical centers and codify chiropractic care as a standard benefit for veterans using VA health care. There is a bipartisan companion bill in the Senate.
Do you think this change would be beneficial for our veterans?
Chiropractic Services Relieve Low Back Pain in Female Veterans: Study Legislation to expand access to chiropractic in the VA gains new momentum