We see quite a few back pain patients in our Las Vegas practice, and Dr. Forsyth has been able to help a lot of them get relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, recovering from back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical treatment, as many individuals use both types of care with great outcomes.
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 reported both acute soreness and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest received chiropractic care together with regular medical care, as the authors wanted to determine which group fared better.
The authors determined that the patients who received standard medical care in combination with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the group that got medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits compared 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 two and four weeks.
Accordingly, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medical approaches can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some distinct strengths over medical treatment.
Although it may seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one major advantage that chiropractic has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, one bit of research done at UCLA2 that was printed 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 preferred over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors typically spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can improve their health on their own, as well as discussing more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.
Certainly, the strategies associated with chiropractic are quite different than those available with medical treatment, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and well-being. Rather than focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic involves tracking down the root cause of your pain, which often results in greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.
In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for treating certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach like chiropractic. This means fewer negative responses to drugs and more permanent recovery.
You don't have to struggle with back pain or other health problems. Give our Las Vegas clinic a call today at (702) 722-2225. We'll do everything we can to help you get and stay free from back pain.
References
Dr. Bobby Forsyth, DC is a Chiropractor in Las Vegas, NV. He is accepting new patients. Be sure to call ahead with Dr. Forsyth to book an appointment.
