We see a number of back pain patients in our Nashville practice, and Sweeney Chiropractic has been able to help a lot of them find relief with chiropractic care. At the same time, recovering from back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical care, as many individuals use both types of care with great results.
In a study published by the academic journal Spine experts1 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 test subjects received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest received chiropractic adjustments as well as regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.
The authors observed that the patients who received standard medical care combined with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17% of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.
Accordingly, incorporating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medical approaches can work together, chiropractic offers some unique advantages over medical treatment.
Although it might seem as if each approach plays a 50/50 role, there is one significant benefit that chiropractic has over medical treatment 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 treatment.
According to the researchers, the main factors that patients preferred 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 discussing more thoroughly what to expect from chiropractic.
Without a doubt, the strategies associated with chiropractic are very different than those provided with medical therapy, but a great deal of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a holistic approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic means searching for the root cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are tackling 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 responses to prescriptions and more permanent recovery.
You don't have to deal with back pain or other health problems. Give our Nashville office a call today at (615) 331-7040. We'll do everything we can to help you get and remain free from back pain.
References
Dr. Jim Sweeney & Dr. Jon Sweeney, your Nashville Chiropractors and Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduates, provide quality chiropractic care to patients in Nashville, TN. If you suffer from back pain, neck pain, headache, sciatica or have been in an auto collision, Sweeney Chiropractic can get you back on the road to health.
