We see a number of people with back pain in our Oakleigh office, and North Road Chiropractic has helped a lot of them find relief through various chiropractic techniques. However, recovering from back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical care, as many people use both types of care with great success.
In a study published by the medical journal Spine researchers1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute pain and restricted function due to back symptoms. Some of the patients engaged in treatment via standard medical care, while the rest were given chiropractic care together with standard medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.
The authors determined that the patients who got 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 percent of the medical treatment only group who reported the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.
Thus, incorporating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medical approaches can work together, chiropractic offers some unique strengths over medical therapy.
Although it may seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant advantage that chiropractic care has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research from 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 treatment.
According to the researchers, the main factors that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors commonly spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can better their health on their own, as well as discussing more carefully what to expect from chiropractic care.
Certainly, the methods associated with chiropractic are quite different than those provided with medical treatment, but a great deal of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. Instead of focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care involves searching for the root cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.
Additionally, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment such as chiropractic. This means fewer negative side effects from prescriptions and more permanent recovery.
You don't have to deal with back pain or other health issues. Give our Oakleigh office a call today at (03) 9579 2699. We'll work to help you get and continue to be free from back pain.
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Since 1987, North Road Chiropractic patients have benefited from the hands-on, low-force, safe and painless chiropractic techniques offered. Utilizing the best and latest in diagnostic techniques, state of the art equipment, setting us apart amongst Oakleigh chiropractors.
