Low Back Pain is the leading cause of disability, missed time, and loss of wages due to injury worldwide. It is now estimated that over 540 MILLION people are affected each and every day. If we look at the glaring statistics, we find that low back pain is a normal part of life with up to 80% of the population experiencing low back pain at some point and upwards of 40% experience low back pain each year…… but the questions is, have we made any headway in the CARE FOR LOW BACK PAIN over the past few decades?
It wasn’t too long ago that the go-to treatment suggestion/prescription was bed rest! On top of that, muscle relaxers and pain relieving narcotics were handed out almost haphazardly. Now don’t misunderstand, there is most certainly a time and place for pharmacology in the treatment of low back pain, but as we will soon discuss, it is near the end of available treatment options. What we truly have is a gap between current research and what is actually being offered inside Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, and Primary Care Clinics as well as Emergency Departments.
ACTIVE CARE
THE BIG 3 - AT HOME EXERCISES TO HELP WITH LOW BACK PAIN.
Too long have we relied upon passive care methods and anti-cohesive approaches in healthcare regarding musculoskeletal issues, especially low back pain. Fortunately, that is all changing. Recently, The Lancet released a series of papers focused on low back pain, our shortcomings in common care practices, and opens a new conversation on how we look at the treatment of low back pain. Their suggestions center around a cohesive care model between medical and conservative methods with an emphasis on a non-pharmacological, conservative, and active approach (such as chiropractic and physical therapy) to low back pain care in both early and late stages. Their suggestions are aimed to limit the use of injections and surgery early in the care process outside of rare and emergency situations.
These articles come on top of recent releases from the Journal of the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Chiropractic Association, and other leading journals and medical institutions that are pressing hard to expand the conservative care options available for low back pain sufferers within the traditional medical model of care.
At Revive Sport & Spine, we aim to be Utah’s leading sports chiropractic and low back pain clinic. We fully support these papers as our aim is to always educate our patients, guide them back to the right path through soft tissue therapy, spinal manipulation, and active exercise rehabilitation that will enable them to be self-sufficient and take charge of their low back pain.
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Dr. Reheisse is a Board Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Cottonwood Heights Utah. Revive Sport & Spine provides evidence-supported chiropractic care and conservative sports injury management.