CHOOSING WISELY (1) – WHAT TO DO ABOUT BACK PAIN
Every profession is setting
forth recommendations for practitioners to adhere to when dispensing health care with hopes to stimulate conversations between patients and
their healthcare providers and among healthcare providers themselves. Your
Eugene chiropractor at Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic is always ready for such a
conversation about Eugene back pain. Back pain is a huge
health issue affecting 80% of us in
Eugene at some point in life. Back pain is managed by many sorts of physicians in many types
of professional societies. Their societal recommendations are comparable
concerning imaging (Do not do within
the first six weeks of pain except if there are “red
flags.”), testing non-surgical care ahead of
imaging and/or referring for back surgery, and moving
the patient care from passive care to active care. More
precisely, the American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation recommends not ordering repeat epidural steroid
injections without checking for the response to
the latter one and not prescribing opioid drugs for acute disabling
low back pain without assessment and a test of other
alternatives. (2) The American Chiropractic Association recommends not performing
repeat imaging to see how the patient is responding,
not getting spinal imaging for acute low back pain in the first
6 weeks of pain unless there are red flags,
and avoiding long term usage of passive care
but instead shift the patient to active care. (3) The American
College of Emergency Room Physicians recommends avoiding
lumbar spine imaging in non-traumatic back pain except if there are
severe or progressive neurological deficits or a suspicion of an underlying issue.
(4) The American College of Physicians recommends not ordering
imaging studies in patients with non-specific low back pain. (5) The North
American Spine Society recommends not advocating bed rest for
more than 48 hours for low back pain, not ordering EMG studies to figure
out the cause of spine pain, and not getting
advanced spinal imaging (ex MRI) within the first six weeks of
non-specific acute low back pain with no red flags. (6)
The Danish Health Authority recommends not referring patients for
back surgery for a lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy unless the severe and debilitating back pain continues
for 12 weeks despite
non-surgical treatment. (7) It’s up to you, the Eugene back
pain patient or concerned loved one, to choose wisely the course of
care for back pain relief. Use these professions’
recommendations for back pain care to guide a conversation
with your Eugene chiropractor, your Eugene back pain specialist, at Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic as you choose the type of care suitable for your Eugene
back pain relief.
Listen to this PODCAST
from the Back Doctors' Podcast series about two cases of back pain helped with Cox Technic, one with imaging and all sorts of care and the second case without any imaging studies.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Non-Surgical Interventions for Eugene Back Pain
Common Eugene non-surgical interventions for
Eugene back pain relief are pain medications, exercise, manual
manipulation, massage, and heat/ice. (8, 9) Included in the top non-surgical
interventions to try before Eugene back surgery is spinal
manipulation (10) of which 90% (11) is performed by
chiropractors. The Cox Technic System of Spine Care – spinal manipulation with
exercise, nutrition and passive care for pain and inflammation reduction with more
active care importance as pain decreases – matches
Choosing Wisely recommendations as it seeks 50% relief of
pain within 30 days of care (which is more than the 30% or greater improvement
in self-reported pain and function sought by medicine [12])
before advanced imaging or surgical referral without red
flags. Bring your Eugene back pain to your Eugene chiropractor’s
office! Make it your first Eugene back pain
relief healthcare stop!