New Recommendation from Harvard Medical School:

Chiropractic Care for Low Back Pain

Great News! Top healthcare organizations are now recommending chiropractic care for people with low back pain. Our practice is happy to see Harvard Health and the Mayo Clinic are now showcasing the benefits of chiropractic!

Yes, Harvard Medical School’s new spinal care guidelines emphasize the benefits of chiropractic care as the first line of treatment for low back pain. They joined a list of mainstream medical organizations such as the American College of Physicians and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence that support chiropractic care for the treatment of low back pain.

“Low back pain costs up to $200 billion a year in the US (including costs of care and missed work), and it’s a leading cause of disability worldwide,” says Harvard-affiliated rheumatologist Dr. Robert Shmerling, and “with the backdrop of the opioid crisis, we badly need an effective, safe, and non-opioid alternative to treat low back pain“

A good place to start is with your chiropractor who can detect the source of your pain and establish the best course of treatment plan.

A 2018 study published in JAMA Network Open is among the latest to weigh in on the pros and cons of chiropractic care for treating low back pain. Researchers enrolled 750 active-duty military personnel who complained of back pain. Half were randomly assigned to receive usual care (including medications, self-care, and physical therapy) while the other half received usual care plus up to 12 chiropractic treatments.

After six weeks of treatment, those assigned to receive chiropractic care:

• reported less pain intensity
• experienced less disability and more improvement in function
• reported higher satisfaction with their treatment
• needed less pain medicine.