We see many patients with back pain in our Redondo Beach practice, and Dr. Vinick has been able to help many of them find relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, dealing with back pain doesn't necessarily mean having to make a choice between chiropractic care and medical therapy, as many people use both types of care with great results.
In a report published by the journal Spine researchers1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who reported both acute discomfort and limited function due to back-related issues. Some of the study participants received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest received chiropractic care as well as standard medical care, as the authors wanted to see which patients fared better.
The authors determined that the patients who got standard medical care combined with chiropractic care scored "significantly better" than the patients who received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits in comparison to just 17 percent of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at two and four weeks.
Accordingly, integrating these two forms of treatment can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering advantages when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic and medicine can work together, chiropractic offers some unique strengths over medical treatment.
Although it might seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one significant advantage that chiropractic care has over medical treatment and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, one bit of research done at UCLA2 that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than patients undergoing medical treatment.
According to the experts, the main aspects that patients liked over medical treatment were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't surprising, as chiropractors tend to spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can improve their health on their own, as well as outlining more carefully what to expect from chiropractic.
Without a doubt, the techniques associated with chiropractic are very different than those provided with medical treatment, but a large amount of the distinction is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and well-being. In contrast to focusing on only relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care involves finding the primary cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are addressing the problem at its source.
In addition, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to a natural approach such as chiropractic. This means fewer negative responses to medications and lasting recovery.
You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our Redondo Beach clinic a call today at (310) 375-4325. We'll do everything we can to help you get and remain free from back pain.
References
Dr. Mark L. Vinick is both a Chiropractor and Holistic Doctor (Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist) in private practice in Redondo Beach, CA. He has successfully treated a wide variety of conditions based on his extensive knowledge of both modern and ancient healing sciences.
