The spine deserves respect. Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic
respects all Eugene spines, those healthy and those hurting. When the spine hurts, it gets
attention. The attention the hurting spine gets isn’t always
respectful of the guidelines for its pain relief. That fact is receiving
notice in the medical research. Evidence based guidelines for a painful spine’s
care are plentiful, but they aren’t
always followed. They are published but not always read or
implemented. The spine deserves better. Your Eugene chiropractor
respects the spine and matches its trouble to the
best evidence-based protocol for its relief which is often times non-surgical and non-drug.
CLINICAL GUIDELINES AND APPROACHES
What is recommended and/or beneficial for
spine pain often delivered even in Eugene? The
American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians recommend
spinal manipulation for low back pain. (1) Flexion distraction (aka Cox Technic) and manual therapy
using joint mobilization techniques and flexion distraction is reported
to be effective for low back pain relief. (2) Conservative treatment in the
form of spinal manipulation
should be undertaken by patients with chronic low back pain
and disability related to low back pain.
(3) Flexion distraction brings clinically meaningful
improvement in pain by 79% and disability by 70% at 14.5 months follow-up. (4) Research
notes that surgical methods and outcomes vary
from place to place for patients with the same condition. It pleas for
standardization of care and the establishment of international guidelines built
on what works best according to such evidence. (5)
Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic agrees that published guidelines documenting what
is best require respectful use.
CLINICAL REALITY
What is really going on? A just
published article that reviewed the care of Canadian
spine pain patients referred for spine surgery bluntly
wrote that “Surgeons do not use clinical practice
guidelines before spine surgery.” What did they do? Prescribed medications to
74.2% of them 46.3% of whom got opioids. 61.1% of patients tried two or fewer
non-surgical forms of treatment. The article proposes that if
patients tried evidence-based non-operative
treatments before a spine surgery consultation, fewer would be referred and, in
Canada, fewer would get worse as they have to wait so long to get to the surgeon. (6) Lumbar cage fusion rates grew
from 3.6% to 58% in 5 years that lead to higher
complication risk without any improvement in disability or reoperation rates. (7)
Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic offers Eugene chiropractic spine
care with less intrusive, more effective means, particularly
with the evidence-based protocols of Cox Technic.
MAKE A Eugene CHIROPRACTIC APPOINTMENT
Listen to this PODCAST with medical doctor, Dr. David Moen,
who supports non-surgical care of back pain
with chiropractic for less costly and unnecessary medical care.
Schedule a Eugene chiropractic consultation today
with the Eugene spine specialist at Rethwill Chiropractic Clinic where your
hurting spine is seen with respect and relieving care as evidence says
is best.