August 19, 2024
We see a number of people with back pain in our Midland, Odessa practice, and Permian Basin Accident & Injury Centers has been able to help many of them find relief with chiropractic. At the same time, dealing with back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many people utilize both types of care with great success.
In a study published by the medical journal Spine investigators1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute discomfort and limited function due to back pain. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest were given chiropractic adjustments along with standard medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.
Researchers determined that the patients who got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the patients who got medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17% of the medical care only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two-and four-week marks.
Therefore, incorporating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you, the patient, offering advantages when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medicine can work together, chiropractic offers some distinct advantages over medical treatment.
Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study conducted at UCLA2 that was published in the American Journal of Public Health reports that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than patients undergoing medical treatment.
According to the researchers, the main aspects that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors typically spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic.
Without a doubt, the strategies associated with chiropractic are very different than those offered with medical care, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Rather than focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care involves finding the primary cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are addressing 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 care. This means fewer negative side effects from drugs and lasting results.
You don't have to struggle with back pain or other health issues. Give our Midland, Odessa clinic a call today at (432) 262-3219. We'll do everything we can to help you get and stay free from back pain.
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