Johnson Chiropractic Respects the Painful Spine with Evidence-Based Care
The spine deserves respect. Johnson Chiropractic respects all Richmond spines, those in good shape and those in not so good shape. When the spine hurts, it gets attention. The attention the hurting spine gets isn’t always respectful of the guidelines for its pain relief. That fact is receiving notice in the medical research. Evidence based guidelines for a painful spine’s care are plentiful, but they are not always respected. They are published but not always read or implemented. The spine deserves better. Your Richmond chiropractor respects the spine and coordinates its trouble to the best evidence-based protocol for its relief which is many times non-surgical and non-drug.
CLINICAL GUIDELINES AND APPROACHES
What is recommended and/or favorable for spine pain often provided even in Richmond? The American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians recommend spinal manipulation for low back pain. (1) Flexion distraction (aka Cox Technic) and manual therapy using joint mobilization techniques and flexion distraction is reported to be effective for low back pain relief. (2) Conservative treatment in the form of spinal manipulation should be tried by patients with chronic low back pain and disability related to low back pain. (3) Flexion distraction delivers clinically meaningful improvement in pain by 79% and disability by 70% at 14.5 months follow-up. (4) Research reports that surgical methods and outcomes vary from place to place for patients with the same condition. It beckons standardization of care and the establishment of international guidelines founded about what works best according to such evidence. (5) Johnson Chiropractic agrees that published guidelines showing what is most effective require respectful use.
CLINICAL REALITY
What is being done? A recently published article that reviewed the care of Canadian spine pain patients sent for spine surgery bluntly reported that “Surgeons do not use clinical practice guidelines before spine surgery.” What did they do? Prescribed medications to 74.2% of them 46.3% of whom got opioids. 61.1% of patients tried two or less non-surgical forms of treatment. The article suggests that if patients tried evidence-based non-operative treatments before a spine surgery consultation, fewer would be referred and, in Canada, fewer would get worse as they have to wait so long to see the surgeon. (6) Lumbar cage fusion rates grew from 3.6% to 58% in 5 years that resulted in increased complication risk without any improvement in disability or reoperation rates. (7) Johnson Chiropractic offers Richmond chiropractic spine care with less intrusive, more effective means, specifically with the evidence-based protocols of Cox Technic.
MAKE A Richmond CHIROPRACTIC APPOINTMENT
Listen to this PODCAST with medical doctor, Dr. David Moen, who encourages non-surgical care of back pain with chiropractic for less costly and unnecessary medical care.
Schedule a Richmond chiropractic consultation today with the Richmond spine specialist at Johnson Chiropractic where your hurting spine is met with respect and relieving care as evidence documents best.
