Chiropractic care may ease back-related leg pain

For those of your suffering from low back and leg pain a new study from the online version of the Annals of Internal Medicine, 2014 Sep. 16;161(6):381-91. doi: 10.7326/M14-0006 offers more proof that a visit to a chiropractor should be the first choice.

Gert Bronfort, the study’s lead investigator said that about four out of five people will develop low back pain during their lifetime, and up to 40 percent of them will develop back-related leg pain. This is a serious health and economic problem in this country since patients with back-related leg pain, such as sciatica, are usually treated with prescription medications, injections and surgery.

The study showed people with leg pain related to back problems had more short-term relief if they received chiropractic care along with exercise and advice, rather than exercise and advice alone.

The patients were asked to rate their pain at the beginning of the study, after the 12 weeks of treatments and again at the end of the year.

At 12 weeks, 37 percent of the spinal manipulation group felt their pain was reduced by at least three-quarters, compared to 19 percent of those who received exercise and advice only.

In addition, the patients who had spinal manipulation had higher scores for overall improvement and satisfaction.

By the one-year follow-up, the no-manipulation group had caught up, and there was no longer a significant difference in pain relief. But the scores for overall improvement and satisfaction remained higher for the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy.

The need for more studies especially ones that involve continued chiropractic manipulation after the reduction of the acute pain episode is evident. But for right now make sure that you find a chiropractor who not only utilizes spinal manipulation/adjustments but advises you in exercise and activities of daily living strategies to be done at home.