Back Related Leg Pain
Dr. Martin Blankenship is a Chiropractor practicing in St Petersburg, FL. Dr. Blankenship specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system, while improving each patients functionality and quality of life. Conditions treated include sciatica, neck pain, and arthritis... more
A recent study has shown sustained chiropractic care and home exercise produced better outcomes for back related leg pain than exercise alone. The study published in the highly respected Annals of Internal Medicine showed that patients who had combined chiropractic care – referred to as spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) in the study, with home exercise and advice (HEA) had better results than those who had at-home exercise only.
In the study, patients in each group rated their back related leg pain (BRLP) at 12 and 52 weeks. The chiropractic care plus home exercise advice group had a clinically important advantage over home exercise and advice alone at 12 weeks. The chiropractic care plus home exercise and advice group sustained better secondary outcomes in terms of patient global improvement, satisfaction and reduced need for medication use.
Chiropractors’ Association of Australia spokesperson Dr. Billy Chow (Chiropractor) stated that chiropractic research is increasingly targeting conditions such as low back pain in order to reduce the impact these complaints have on the community.
“While this is only a single study it supports the long-held understanding that those patients that maintain regular chiropractic treatment, sustain long term outcomes for the reduction in complaints such as back related leg pain. Such a study might be the next logical step and help us quantify the importance of chiropractic maintenance care.”
Future research may now need to look at longer-term outcomes when chiropractic care is continued at a minimal level and after the initial intensive period of care.
An estimated 100 million Americans experience back problems, including individuals with back and disc disorders, and with sciatica according to the American Chiropractic Association.
Full Article: www.familychiroplus.com/back-related-leg-pain
