Low Back pain

Chiropractic Management of a Patient with Subluxations, Low Back Pain and Epileptic Seizures. Alcantara, Herschong, Plaugher and Alcantara. JMPT, Volume 21, Number 6, pp. 410-418, April 1998.

This is a case study of a 21-year-old female with a history since childhood of grand mal and petit mal seizures with seizures occurring every three hours. Examination revealed subluxation/ dysfunction at L5-S1, C6-C7 and C3-C4, retrolisthesis at L5,

hypolordosis of the cervical spine and hyperextension at C6-C7.

Gonstead care was administered and at a 1.5 year follow-up, “the patient reported her low back complaints had resolved and her seizures had decreased (period between seizures as great as 2 months.)

The authors conclude, “Data suggests that epilepsies are common, with an incidence between 40 and 200 per 100,000 with an overall prevalence between 0.5-1.0% of the general population. When one considers the potential side effects of antiepileptic drugs, research into the effects of chiropractic care for patients with epilepsy should be initiated.”

Chiropractic/Dental cotreatment of lumbosacral pain with temporomandibular ( TMJ) joint involvement. Chinappi AS and Getzoff H JMPT, Vol. 19 No. 9 November/December 1996.

A 33-year old woman with centralized lumbosacral pain, after 30 months of chiropractic care was still experiencing some lower back pain and limited improvement and agreed to see an orthodontist who diagnosed a “Class 11 malocclusion with significant loss of vertical dimension, characteristic of bilateral posterior bite collapse.”
From the abstract: The co-treatment approach, which integrated dental orthopedic and craniochiropractic care, ameliorated the pain and improved head, jaw, neck and back function.

Conclusion: The position of the jaw, head and vertebral column, including the lumbar region, are intricately linked. Orthodontic treatment improved the position of the mandible, which in turn enabled the body to respond to chiropractic care.

The efficacy of manual treatment in low back pain: a clinical trial. US Gov’t and Manga reports. Arkuszewski Z. Manual Medicine, 1986; 2:68-71.

Spinal manipulation out-performs conventional care in the most costly low back
patients.

...The percentage of chiropractic patients who were ‘very satisfied’ with the care theyreceived for low back pain was triple that for patients of family physicians.W J Med 1989;150:351-5

On the evidence, particularly the most scientifically valid clinical studies, spinalmanipulation applied by chiropractors is shown to be more effective than alternative treatments for low back pain. Manga Report, 1993.

The Commission has found it established beyond any reasonable degree of doubt that chiropractors have a more thorough training in spinal mechanics and spinal manual therapy than any other health professional. It would therefore be astonishing to contemplate that a chiropractor, in those areas of expertise, should be subject to the directions of a medical practitioner who is largely ignorant of those matters simply because he has had no training in them.
Royal Commission of Inquiry on Chiropractic in New Zealand, 1979.

“There is therefore, economic support for the use of chiropractic in low back pain, though the obvious clinical improvement in pain and disability attributable to chiropractic treatment is in itself, an adequate reason for considering the use of chiropractic… The benefit of chiropractic treatment became more evident throughout the follow-up period… Chiropractic was particularly effective in those with fairly intractable pain-that is, those with a history of severe pain.” BMJ 1990; 300:1431-6.

Low back pain and the lumbar intervertebral disk: Clinical consideration for the doctor of chiropractic. Troyanovich SJ, Harrison DD, Harrison DE. Journal of Manipulative
and Physiological Therapeutics, Feb. 1999; vol. 22, no. 2, pp96-104.
This review of the literature distills and synthesizes previously published research. The article lists various causes of low back pain, noting what findings in patient histories, physical examinations, and diagnostic imaging represent “red flags” that indicate the need for referral to a specialist for surgical intervention. After patients are screened for red flags, conservative treatment should be the first line of treatment for patients without absolute signs for surgical intervention. The authors concluded: Of the available conservative treatments, chiropractic management has been shown through
multiple studies to be safe, clinically effective, cost-effective, and to provide a high degree of patient satisfaction. As a result, in patients . . . for whom the surgical indications are not absolute, a minimum of 2 or 3 months of chiropractic management is indicated.

References from Koren Publications’ brochure:

Low Back Pain and Chiropractic Deyo, R. A. Description epidemiology of lower-back pain and its related medical care in the United States. Spine, 1987, 12 (3), pp. 264-268.

Low Back Pain, the $50 Billion Problem. Conference sponsored by the Institute for Low Back Care. Minneapolis, MN: Abbott Northwestern Hospital, September 30, 1982.

Acute low back problems in adults. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, Maryland, Dec. 1994.

News release, International Chiropractors Association, Dec. 8, 1994.
Manga, P. et al. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic management of low-back pain. University of Ottawa, Canada: Pran Manga and Associates, 1993. Meade, T. W., Dyer, S. et al.

Low back pain of mechanical origin: Randomised comparison of chiropractic and hospital outpatient treatment. British Medical Journal, June 1990, 300, pp. 431-437. Kirkaldy-Willis, W.H. American Back Society Newsletter, Spring 1989, 5 (2).
Acute low back problems in adults. Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. U.S. Dept. Of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, Maryland, Dec. 1994. p.36.

References from Koren Publications’ brochure: Heal Faster From On-The-Job Injuries

Deyo, R. A. Description epidemiology of lower-back pain and its related medical care in the United States.
Spine, 1987, 12 (3), pp. 264-268.

Low Back Pain, the $50 Billion Problem. Conference sponsored by the Institute for Low Back Care. Minneapolis, MN: Abbott Northwestern Hospital, September 30, 1982.

Practice guideline: Acute low back problems in adults. Washington, DC: The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), U.S. Public Health Service, December 1994, p. 30.

News release, International Chiropractors Association, Dec. 8, 1994.
Manga, P. et al. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic management of low-back pain. University of Ottawa, Canada: Pran Manga and Associates, 1993. Kirkaldy-Willis, W.H. American Back Society Newsletter, spring 1989, 5 (2).