Chiropractic and Medical Care: An Effective Combination

Kettering back pain treatmentWe see a number of patients with back pain in our Kettering office, and Dr. Poelking has been able to help many of them find relief with chiropractic. At the same time, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals use both types of care with great success.

Study Confirms Chiropractic and Medical Treatment Work Well Together

In a study published by the academic journal Spine investigators1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who were suffering from both acute soreness and limited function due to back-related issues. Some of the patients received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the remainder received chiropractic adjustments in addition to regular medical care, as the authors wanted to see which patients fared better.

The authors discovered that the patients who got standard medical care combined with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.

Accordingly, combining 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 alongside each other, chiropractic offers some distinct advantages over medical treatment.

Where Chiropractic Care Pulls Ahead

Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50/50 role, there is one significant advantage that chiropractic has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a study done 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 those undergoing medical care.

According to the experts, the main aspects that patients liked over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors commonly spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as explaining more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic.

Chiropractic Care Offers a Non-Invasive Approach

Without a doubt, the methods associated with chiropractic are quite different than those provided with medical care, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and well-being. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care involves tracking down the primary cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.

In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach such as chiropractic. This means fewer negative responses to medications and longer-lasting results.

You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health issues. Give our Kettering office a call today at (937) 299-2900. We'll do everything we can to help you get and remain free from back pain.

References

  1. Goertz CM, Long CR, Hondras MA, Petri R, Delgado R, Lawrence DJ, Owens EF, Meeker WC. Adding chiropractic manipulative therapy to standard medical care for patients with acute low back pain: results of a pragmatic randomized comparative effectiveness study. Spine 2013;38(8):627-634.
  2. Hertzman-Miller RP1, Morgenstern H, Hurwitz EL, Yu F, Adams AH, Harber P, Kominski GF. Comparing the satisfaction of low back pain patients randomized to receive medical or chiropractic care: results from the UCLA low-back pain study. American Journal of Public Health 2002;92(10):1628-1633.
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    For over 20 years, Poelking Chiropractic has been treating patients in the Dayton Ohio area (Kettering, Centerville, Oakwood, Beavercreek, Belmont, Fairborn, Springboro...). Through chiropractic care and other non-invasive methods, we provide effective relief for those suffering from disc bulges/protrusions/herniations, degenerative disc disease, stenosis, sciatica, arthritis, whiplash and other causes of neck and low back pain.