We see quite a few back pain patients in our Charlotte, NC office, and ChiroWerx has been able to help many of them find relief with chiropractic care. At the same time, recovering from back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many individuals utilize both types of care with great outcomes.
In a report published by the medical 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 discomfort and restricted function due to back pain. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical care, while the rest were given chiropractic adjustments as well as regular medical care, as researchers wanted to see which group fared better.
Researchers discovered that the group that received standard medical care along with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73 percent reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17% of the medical care only group who reported 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 benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medicine can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique strengths over medical therapy.
Although it might seem as if each approach 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 found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.
According to the researchers, the main factors that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors tend to spend much more time advising their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as outlining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.
Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are quite different than those available with medical care, but a large amount of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on just relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means 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 such as chiropractic care. This means fewer negative side effects from medications and lasting results.
You don't have to suffer from back pain or other health problems. Give our Charlotte, NC office a call today at (980) 201-9484. We'll do everything we can to help you get and remain free from back pain.
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Dr. Kyle’s desire is to leave a legacy with his undying passion for helping others. He seeks only to improve his patients’ overall health and wellness and he hopes for more opportunities to teach about nutrition and the body.
