Low Back Pain – Is it on the Rise?
Clear Lake City Chiropractor: As stated last month, the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) is REALLY high! In fact, it’s the second most common cause of disability among adults in the United States (US) and a very common reason for lost days at work. The total cost of back pain in the US, including treatment and lost productivity, ranges between $100 billion to $200 billion a year! Is low back pain on the rise, staying the same, or lessening? Let’s take a look!
In the past two decades, the use of health care services for chronic LBP (that means LBP > 3 months) has substantially increased. When reviewing studies reporting insurance claims information, researchers note a significant increase in the use of spinal injections, surgery, and narcotic prescriptions. There has been an increase in the use of spinal manipulation by chiropractors as well, along with increased physical therapy services and primary care physician driven non-narcotic prescriptions. In general, LBP sufferers who are chronic (vs. acute) are the group using most of these services and incurring the majority of costs. The reported utilization of the above mentioned services was only 3.9% in 1992 compared to 10.2% in 2006, just 11 years later. The question now becomes, why is this? Possible reasons for this increase health care use in chronic LBP sufferers may be: 1) There are simply more people suffering from chronic LBP; 2) More chronic LBP patients are deciding to seek care or treatment where previously they “just accepted and lived with it” and didn’t pursue treatment; or, 3) A combination of these factors. Regardless of which of the above three is most accurate, the most important issue is, what can we do to help chronic back pain sufferers?
As we’ve discussed in the past, an anti-inflammatory diet, exercise within YOUR personal tolerance level, not smoking, getting enough sleep, and obtaining chiropractic adjustments every two weeks are well documented methods of “controlling” chronic LBP (as there really ISN’T a “cure” in many cases). You may be surprised to hear that maintenance care has good literature support for controlling chronic LBP. In the 8/15/11 issue of SPINE (Vol. 36, No. 18, pp1427-1437), two Medical Doctors (MDs) penned the article, “Does Maintained Spinal Manipulation Therapy for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain Result in Better Long-Term Outcomes?” Here, they took 60 patients with chronic LBP (cLBP) and randomly assigned them into one of three groups: 1) 12 treatments of sham (fake) SMT (spinal manipulation) have over a one month period; 2) 12 treatments, over a one month period but no treatment for the following nine months; or 3) 12 treatments for one month AND then SMT every two weeks for the following nine months. To measure the differences between the three groups, they measured pain, disability, generic health status, and back-specific patient satisfaction at baseline, 1-, 4-, 7-, and 10-month time intervals. They found only the patients in the second and third groups experienced significantly lower pain and disability scores vs. the first group after the first month of treatments (at three times a week). BUT, only the third group showed more improvement at the 10-month evaluation. Also, by the tenth month, the pain and disability scores returned back to nearly the initial baseline/initial level in group two. The authors concluded that, “To obtain long-term benefit, this study suggests maintenance SM after the initial intensive manipulative therapy.” Other studies have reported fewer medical tests, lower costs, fewer doctor visits, less work absenteeism, and a higher quality of life when maintenance chiropractic visits are utilized. The question is, WHEN will insurance companies and general practitioners start RECOMMENDING chiropractic maintenance care for chronic LBP patients?
We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services. . Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please e-mail them to [email protected] .
Low Back Pain: Surgery vs. Chiropractic?
Clear Lake City Chiropractor Comments: Low back pain (LBP) is the second most common cause of disability in the United States (US) and a very common reason for lost days at work with an estimated 149 million days of work lost per year. The total cost associated with this is astronomical at between $100-200 billion/yr, of which 2/3rds are due to decreased wages and productivity. More than 80% of the population will have an episode of LBP at some point in their lifetime. The good news is that 95% recover within two to three months of onset. However, some never recover which leads to chronic LBP (LBP > 3 months), and 20-44% will have a recurrence of LBP within one year with lifetime recurrences of up to 85%! What this means is that most of us have, have had, or will have LBP, and we’ll get it again! So the question is, what are we going to do about it?
Surgery has traditionally been considered a “last resort” with less invasive approaches recommended first. Chiropractic adjustments and management strategies have traditionally faired very well when compared to other non-surgical methods like physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage therapy. But, is there evidence that by receiving chiropractic treatment, low back surgery can be avoided? Let’s take a look!
A recent study was designed to determine whether or not we could predict those who would require low back surgery within three years of a job-related back injury. This is a very important study as back injuries are the most common occupational injury in the US, and few studies have investigated what, if any, early predictors of future spine surgery after work-related injury exist. The study reviewed cases of 1,885 Washington state workers, of which 174 or 9.2% had low back surgery within three years. The initial predictors of surgery included high disability scores on questionnaires, greater injury severity, and seeing a surgeon as the first provider after the injury. Reduced odds of having surgery included: 1) <35 years old; 2) Females; 3) Hispanics; and 4) those who FIRST saw a chiropractor. Approximately 43% of workers who first saw a surgeon had surgery compared to ONLY 1.5% of those who first saw a chiropractor! WOW!!! This study supports the FACT that IF a low back injured worker first sees a chiropractor vs. a surgeon, the likelihood of needing surgery in the three years after the injury would be DRAMATICALLY reduced! In fact, the strongest predictor of whether an injured worker would undergo surgery was found to be related to who they saw first after the injury: a surgeon or a chiropractor.
If this isn’t enough evidence, another recent study (University of British Columbia) looked at the safety of spine surgery and reported that (taken from a group of 942 LBP surgical patients): 1) 87% had at least one documented complication; 2) 39% of the 87% had to stay longer in the hospital as a result; 3) 10.5% had a complication during the surgery; 4) 73.5% had a post-surgical complication (which included: 8% delirium, 7% pneumonia, 5% nerve pain, 4.5% had difficulty swallowing, 3% nerve deterioration, 13.5% wound complication); 5) 14 people died as a surgical complication. Another study showed lower annual healthcare costs for those receiving chiropractic vs. those who did not. The “take-home” message is clear: TRY CHIROPRACTIC FIRST!!!
We realize you have a choice in whom you consider for your health care provision and we sincerely appreciate your trust in choosing our service for those needs. If you, a friend, or family member requires care for back pain, we would be honored to render our services. . Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please e-mail them to [email protected] .
Dr Beecher’s May 27 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
Week of Monday, May 27th, 2013
Mental Attitude: Happily Married? A recent study concludes that young and happily married newlyweds are more
likely to gain weight than their young and unhappily married counterparts. For each unit increase in satisfaction, on
average, males and females both gained one tenth of a BMI unit every 6 months – or about one pound a year.
According to Dr. Andrea Meltzer, lead author of the study, “These findings challenge the idea that quality
relationships always benefit health, suggesting instead that spouses in satisfying relationships relax their efforts to
maintain their weight because they are no longer motivated to attract a mate. Interventions to prevent weight gain in
early marriage may therefore benefit from encouraging spouses to think about their weight in terms of health rather
than appearance.” Health Psychology, April 2013
Health Alert: Less Salt, More Potassium. Reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure, which ultimately reduces
the risk of heart disease and stroke. Results show that four or more weeks of modest salt reduction leads to notable
decreases in blood pressure. Increased potassium intake was associated with a 24% reduced probability of stroke in
adults and may also have an advantageous impact on blood pressure in kids. British Medical Journal, April 2013
Diet: So How Much Salt and Potassium Should You Consume? The World Health Organization recommends
adults should reduce salt intake to 5g per day and consume at least 3510mg of potassium per day.
World Health Organization, January 2013
Exercise: More Reasons. Exercise helps to retard bone loss as you age, thereby reducing your risk of developing
osteoporosis. Exercise also helps improves pain tolerance and mood if you already suffer from osteoarthritis.
Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996
Chiropractic: Satisfied Low Back Pain Patients. Patients with chronic low-back pain treated by chiropractors
showed greater improvement and satisfaction after one month of care than patients treated by family physicians.
Satisfaction scores were higher for chiropractic patients. A higher proportion of chiropractic patients (56% vs. 13%)
reported that their low-back pain was better or much better, whereas nearly one-third of medical patients reported
their low-back pain was worse or much worse. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 2000
Wellness/Prevention: Sleep Well. Increasing the number of hours adolescents sleep each night may reduce the
prevalence of adolescent obesity. A recent study shows that fewer hours of sleep is associated with greater increases
in adolescent body mass index (BMI) for participants between 14 and 18 years old. Increasing sleep from 8 to 10
hours per day at age 18 could result in a 4% reduction in the number of adolescents with a BMI above 25. This
would translate to 500,000 fewer overweight adolescents. Pediatrics, April 2013
Quote: “Chiropractic is a wonderful means of natural healing.” ~ Bob Hope
|
|
Dr Beecher’s March 4 Weekly Chiropractic Newsletter
To download Dr. Beecher’s Weekly Newsletter, please click here!
WEEKLY HEALTH NEWS UPDATE
Week of Monday, March 4th, 2013
Mental Attitude: Young Adults Are Stressed-Out! A recent study shows adults ages 18-33 years old are more likely to report higher stress levels than those outside of their age range. Furthermore, 53% said they received little or no support for stress management from their health care provider.
American Psychological Assoc, February 2013
Health Alert: Mini Stroke? Each year 500,000 Americans experience mini strokes called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Symptoms usually go away within an hour, but 10-15% of people who experience TIAs will experience full-blown strokes within 3 months, and 40% of these strokes will occur within the first 24 hours! A TIA is caused by a temporary blockage, typically a blood clot, in a blood vessel in the brain. Symptoms are similar to a stroke and include numbness or paralysis on one side of the body, vision changes, trouble speaking, difficulty with balance or walking, and sudden severe headache.
Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, February 2013
Diet: Low-Calorie Meals and Restaurant Finances. Restaurants that introduced more low-calorie options had a 5.5% increase in sales compared to a 5.5% decline among the restaurants that didn’t offer such options. In
fact, they had a 10.9% growth in customer traffic versus a 14.7% decline in the other restaurants.
Hudson Institute, February 2013
Exercise: More Reasons. Regular exercise reduces the likelihood of developing low-back problems, as well as improving balance and coordination. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996
Chiropractic: Colic and Chiropractic. A review of six randomized trials involving 325 infants suggests infants who received gentle, low-velocity manipulation treatments had a reduction in crying an average of one hour and twelve minutes a day, and had no adverse effects. Cochrane Review, December 2012
Wellness/Prevention: Tea and Wine. Natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer’s disease pathway. In early-stage experiments, researchers identified the process which allows harmful clumps of protein to latch on to brain cells, causing them to die. They were able to interrupt this pathway using the purified extracts of EGCG from green tea and resveratrol from red wine.
Journal of Biological Chemistry, February 2013
Quote: “Do not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.” ~ Mark Twain
This Weekly Health News Update is compliments of Dr. Ward Beecher and Beecher Chiropractic Clinic. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at 281-286-1300 or BeecherChiropractic.com .
Your Low Back Pain Diagnosis And Why It Is Important
Houston Chiropractor Comments: With any health condition, most doctors agree an accurate diagnosis is important. But with low back pain, it seems that many sufferers postpone the visit to the doctor in hopes that it will go away on its own. It’s no wonder many patients take this approach, since advertisements continually tell us that relief comes in a bottle of little pills. We are almost led to believe that finding out what is wrong with our back is of little importance, that we just need to block the pain, and get on with our lives.
But we need to understand that pain is a signal the body puts out to get our attention-to tell us to take it easy, move less and so on. Despite what pill advertisers would like you to believe, pain is not the problem, it is a signal there is a problem.
If you don’t immediately reach for the pain pills, then maybe you think taking to bed rest for a couple of days and saying the five magic words, “…maybe it will go away..,” would do the trick? Sometimes it does help the pain, but this approach rarely helps the actual problem. Doing this over and over can actually lead to more significant problems, because you are not getting the care you need. A reason why you may not be getting the care you need, is because no one has actually diagnosed what is actually the problem.
And when one says diagnose, that doesn’t mean looking you over from behind a desk and handing you a prescription for some strong medications. While talking over how you’ve been doing is important, it is not a thorough examination. In our office we will attempt to determine the CAUSE of your pain…and not surprisingly, it’s rarely a lack of pills in your diet. We perform mechanical tests to see how your spine moves and when necessary perform imaging studies such as x-rays, to see the positions of the bones in your spine.
Sometimes, a consultation is all that is needed to see if you may be a good candidate for specific chiropractic care. Or maybe you would just like to see what kinds of techniques and services we offer in our office? Please remember that an accurate diagnosis of the cause of your pain is the first step to getting back your quality of life. Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please e-mail them to [email protected] .
Low Back Pain and Your Emotions
Clear Lake City Doctor Comments: This article discusses how anger and emotional expression may affect your back pain. For years many medical doctors thought back pain was more of an issue in the brain than the spine. Research has shown this to be the case in many who are disabled from work. But mechanical sprain injuries of the spine are also critical to body function and how much pain you may experience. You just cannot separate the brain from the body and expect to tackle a difficult problem like low back pain.
Researchers at Duke University looked at this complex problem by measuring the amount of emotional expression, anger, and back pain in patients. The studies included 61 persons with chronic low back pain. The results were quite interesting. Patients who reported greater conflict with regard to expressing emotions may be experiencing higher pain and anger.
Have you ever considered that how you express your emotions could affect how much the back hurts? Do you hold on to angry thoughts and feelings? Ignoring these issues does not make the problem go away. And covering-up your emotions with a cocktail of medications doesn’t seem like a good long-term solution, especially with the unhealthy side effects that can sometimes occur.
Of course there is a difference between “blowing up” at someone and expressing emotions appropriately. Have you tried opening up to someone? A friend or counselor can help show how your emotions can be dealt with constructively. Some patients have severe emotional conflicts and may require psychological support. Others can become more “in tune” with the emotional side of life through simple awareness. Does your back flare up around emotional periods of your life? We can help with the mechanical stresses of the spine, but to maximize your potential you have to consider emotions and the brain. By integrating a mind-body approach to health, the complexity of back pain is addressed more fully. This may get you more engaged with life, more active, and with a healthy outgoing attitude.
Being in chronic pain is no fun, for us, as well as our friends and family. So if you think your emotions (or lack of emotions) may have something to do with your back pain, consult a competent health care provider who addresses the whole person. When patients can confront these issues in a calm and supportive environment, the need for medications if often reduced.
Dr. Ward Beecher practices at Beecher Chiropractic Clinic at 1001 Pineloch, Ste 700 Houston, TX 77062. You can schedule an appointment at BeecherChiropractic.com. or by calling (281) 286-1300. If you have any questions regarding this blog, please comment below!
