Learn Dr. Anthony Galante's Thoughts on What the Media Says About Treating Low Back Pain
Recently, I came across an article on low back pain in the Lifestyle section of AOL. It was titled, “10 secret reasons for your back pain" by Reader's Digest author Alyssa Jung.
I read this article with curiosity to see how the media's message compared to the truth about back pain. After all, articles like this have the potential to affect the thought processes of millions of people.
The fact is 80% of people will have disabling low back pain at some point in their lives. And roughly 33% of all adults are currently suffering from low back pain. Furthermore, with the current opioid crisis, low back pain is a hot topic, and the media knows this.
So, let's take a look at this article and see if its take on low back pain lines up with reality.
Learn the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments for Sciatica
Do you or a loved one suffer from low back pain and pain, pins and needles, tingling, and numbness starting in the buttocks and running down to your foot? If so, you may be suffering from sciatica. This condition describes a set of symptoms typically felt along the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down through the buttock and into the lower leg and foot.
So, what causes sciatica, and how do we treat it? Here’s a breakdown of sciatica’s symptoms, causes, preventative measures, and treatment options.
Learn More About the ACA’s National Chiropractic Health Month
This October, Algonquin Chiropractic Center is participating in National Chiropractic Health Month 2017! Lead by the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), chiropractors across the country mark this month by sharing back injury prevention and strengthening tips. We also share the benefits of a conservative approach to back pain treatment, in line with this month’s “Back to Basics” theme.
Read on to learn more about chiropractors, their approach to pain treatment, the benefits of this approach.
Who Are Chiropractors?
A Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) is a qualified healthcare professional who focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems as well as how they affect overall health. Approximately 10,000 chiropractic students are currently studying in 18 nationally-accredited programs across the country. About 2,500 doctors of chiropractic enter the workforce every year, and nearly 77,000 doctors of chiropractic treat over27 million Americans annually.
The federal Medicare program and most states designate doctors of chiropractic as physician-level providers. To become a chiropractor, a chiropractic student has to complete an accredited four-year doctoral graduate school program. The curriculum includes a minimum of 4,200 hours of study in classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. This is equivalent to the classroom hours required of allopathic and osteopathic doctors (MD and DO).
What Is the Chiropractic Approach to Back Pain?
Click for full-size infographic.
Doctors of chiropractic use many methods of healthcare which you’re probably already familiar with, including examination, diagnosis, and treatment. They reject the allopathic approach’s dependence on addictive drugs and invasive surgery, and instead recommend a conservative approach to treating back pain.
First, a doctor of chiropractic will identify the root causes of the pain. This could be a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or any number of other conditions. Rather than simply medicate the symptoms away, a chiropractor inspects and understands the biomechanics of the spine to get to the root of the problem.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the doctor of chiropractic treats the condition with a conservative approach. This can include any combination of the therapeutic and rehabilitative treatments that chiropractors are trained in. Using their broad diagnostic skills, doctors of chiropractic prescribe and administer various exercises and techniques, as well as nutritional and lifestyle counseling.
Among the different types of healthcare practitioners for low-back pain treatment, doctors of chiropractic are the highest rated in terms of patient satisfaction, beating out physical therapists, primary care physicians like family doctors, and specialist physicians like neurologists and orthopedic surgeons. Why? There are two main reasons: cost and effectiveness.
The conservative approach to healthcare is cost effective. On average, low-back pain care initiated by a doctor of chiropractic costs 20% less than low-back pain care initiated by a medical doctor. A lot of this has to do with the reduced chance of surgery: 42.7% if your first point of contact is with a medical doctor or surgeon, compared to only 1.5% if your first point of contact is with a doctor of chiropractic.
However, the results you get in return are better than those you get from the medical doctor’s treatments. Chiropractic outperforms all other back pain treatments including deep-tissue massage, yoga and pilates, and both over-the-counter and prescription medications. A systematic review in 2010 revealed that most studies indicate equal or better short-term and long-term improvements in pain and function with spinal manipulation (a chiropractic technique) compared to other common methods.
So, chiropractic provides equal or better improvements to your back pain with less invasive treatments and at a lower cost. This National Chiropractic Health Month, take some time to let us educate you about what our work can do for you. Give Algonquin Chiropractic Center a call at (847) 854-2000 to speak with a doctor of chiropractic in Algonquin, IL and learn how conservative care can help you take your life back!
We are sharing this information with you to keep you informed, improve your health and well-being and help you understand critical health care information and how it impacts your health and your wallet. So what are the implications?
That is worse percentages than the weatherman!
Recommendations for low back surgery should not have such a high percentage of “unnecessary and wrong”recommendations.
Did you ever notice that some people won’t go to the chiropractor because they don’t think it is “safe” but will not think twice about having surgery?
According to the Ohio Bureau of Workman Compensation database only 26% of patients having lumbar surgery are back to work. However, 67% of patients that did not have surgery were back to work!
What odds do you like?
Consider safe and effective chiropractic care, Cox Technique, laser, modalities, massage, bracing, orthotics, nutrition and sensible exercise sound better that surgery, doesn’t it?
Remember health is a journey and not a destination. What you do in the practice of health care will go miles and pay dividends over time.
If you still feel that you are struggling in creating a healthy living plan, you will be thrilled to know that Dr. Galante has powerful programs that will teach you the specific steps that will help you to become and stay healthier.
Our Mission – To educate and inform patients so you can make educated decisions to improve your health. Algonquin Chiropractic Center
2210 Huntington Drive North
Algonquin, IL 60102
(847) 854-2000
According to researchers in the October 2010 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, spinal manipulation (chiropractic care) has been proven to be as EQUALLY BENEFICIAL as surgery in the treatment of sciatica. The researchers estimate more than 200,000 “microdiskectomies” (lower back surgeries) are performed each year at a cost of $25,000 per surgery!
Dr. Galante is Committed to Helping You!
We are sharing this information with you to keep you informed, improve your health and well-being and help you understand critical health care information and how it impacts your health and your wallet. So what are the implications?
How do you win? Based on the researchers’ calculations, treating a patient with spinal manipulation could save $22,900 per manipulation patient! How much would that save you?
Another interesting fact from this study – The patients who did not do well with manipulation and then had surgery, did just as well as the group who had surgery at the onset, showing that there is no harm in waiting and trying a course of conservative care.
Most people respond very well to conservative care and it is usually enough to prevent a dangerous surgery.
What do we do? Spinal distraction on a specific table, soft tissue work, massage, nutrition, diet, pain relieving exercises, topical analgesics and life style modifications are all part of a comprehensive program that we individualize for each unique patient. The results are great!
Remember health is a journey and not a destination. What you do in the practice of health care will go miles and pay dividends over time.
If you still feel that you are struggling in creating a healthy living plan, you will be thrilled to know that Dr. Galante has powerful programs that will teach you the specific steps that will help you to become and stay healthier.
Mention this article and receive $25 off your initial visit. Our Mission – To educate and inform patients so you can make educated decisions to improve your health.
recommendations.
Most people respond very well to conservative care and it is usually enough to prevent a dangerous surgery.