March 06, 2020
In a study published in the prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers investigated 192 patients who had back-related leg pain for at least four weeks. Half of the patients were given chiropractic adjustments with home exercise and advice; the other half were just given the home exercise and advice component. The study ran for 12 weeks, and the chiropractic patients received up to 20 chiropractic adjustments over that time. The study participants were assessed at the beginning of the study, at 12 weeks, and at 52 weeks after the completion.
The authors found that:
- Chiropractic adjustments with home exercises "had a clinically important advantage" over home exercises alone at 12 weeks, but not at the 52 week follow-up.
- At the 12-week follow-up, the chiropractic patients had less back pain, less disability, better overall improvement, and better patient satisfaction.
- At the 1-year follow-up, the patients who received chiropractic care maintained their overall improvement and satisfaction with care.
- There were no serious adverse effects due to chiropractic adjustments during the study.
The authors concluded that chiropractic and home exercises combined, "is a safe and effective conservative treatment approach, resulting in better short-term outcomes," than exercise alone.
If you suffer from back pain, it's important to know that you have options. Dr. Dale Patrick at Patrick Chiropractic in Raleigh can provide treatment to give you relief and help you avoid chronic pain. Give our office a call today at 919-790-2288 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Patrick.
Bronfort G, Hondras MA, Schulz CA, et al. Spinal manipulation and home exercise with advice for subacute and chronic back-related leg pain. Annals of Internal Medicine 2014;161:381-391.
