By Dr Danica Newbold, Certified Cox® Technic Chiropractor and Myotherapist.
Low Back Pain has become a worldwide epidemic, it is one of the leading causes of disability and increasingly so as we age1. It can affect any one at any stage of life. According to a recent study, disability caused by low back pain has increased by 54% between 1990 and 20152. People with physically demanding jobs, concurrent physical and mental issues, smokers, and overweight individuals are at far greater risk of reporting low back pain and discomfort2. Most acute low back pain episodes can resolve within a 6-week period, however at least two-thirds of suffers still have pain after 3 months and report still experiencing less intense symptoms after 12 months3.
Evidence for treatment of low back pain conditions has always favoured a conservative approach, however more aggressive treatments such as strong medications (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories such as Voltaren), rest, spinal injections and even surgery are still among some of the highest referrals by mainstream health professionals. According to clinical guidelines from Denmark, UK and US, acute and chronic low back pain should be treated with patient education (advice of keeping active), specific exercises, spinal manipulation, massage and rehabilitation4. In a trial conducted in 2013 on patients with acute low back pain, they observed that the effects of spinal manipulation compared to patients who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (Voltaren) and a placebo group found spinal manipulation to be significantly superior to that of the other therapy groups (Voltaren and Placebo groups)5.
The message is clear to all those who suffer with acute or chronic low back pain, drugs and surgery should be the last resort. Seeking out conservative management for your pain is more advantageous to your overall health than resorting to invasive measures. The practitioners at Malvern Chiropractic and Melbourne Spine Clinic use Cox(R) Technic, which is gentle, low force treatment with more than 40 years of research in successfully treating back pain and is the conservative therapy of choice for spinal conditions. Want more information, ask your practitioner!
REFERENCES:
- Buchbinder, R. Prof., van Tulder, M. Prof., Öberg, B. Prof., et al. Low back pain: a call for action. Lancet. 2018 Mar. DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30488-4
- Hartvigsen, J. Prof., Hancock, M.J., Kongsted, A., et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet. 2018 Mar. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30480-X
- Grace, S., Engel, R.M., Vemulpad, S.R. The guidelines on low back pain are clear: drugs and surgery should be the last resort [Internet]. The Conversation. 2018, May 18. https://theconversation.com/the-guidelines-on-low-back-pain-are-clear-drugs-and-surgery-should-be-the-last-resort-94746
- Foster, N.E., Anema, J.R., Cherkin, D., et al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges and promising directions. Lancet. 2018 Mar. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30489-6
- von Heymann, W.J., Schloemer, P., Timm, J., Muehlbauer, B. Spinal high-velocity low amplitude manipulation in acute nonspecific low back pain: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial in comparison with diclofenac and placebo. Spine 2013 Apr 1;38(7):540-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318275d09c.