Blending Chiropractic with Conventional Medicine to Treat Back Pain - Coursework Example

Other (s) Blending Chiropractic with Conventional Medicine to treat Back Pain Introduction Back pain is a condition that is characterized by pain along the back or neck downwards and the condition often occurs as a result of complications in the structures of the spine such as nerves, bones, muscles and joints. Back pain is increasingly becoming a major health concern as most people are nowadays affected by the condition. A recent survey indicates that almost 80% of adults in the United Sates have experienced back pains at one point in their lives (Barnes and McFann, 32). Human spine consists of a network of ligaments, nerves, muscles, tendons and joints and as a result sometimes back pain can radiate to the other body extremities that are connected with the spine. There are a number of risk factors that are associated with the occurrence of back pains. Some of these risk factors include depression, old age, anxiety, pregnancy, obesity and performing strenuous physical activities. The most common causes of back pain are disease or injury that affects the muscles, bones and the nervous system. Bones that make up the spine can also have frequent ware and tear resulting to back pain. Heavy loads and work can also result to back pain due to excess force exerted on the spinal discs. Pain as a result of impaired organs in the human body can also lead to back pain that is experienced as symptoms of a disease. Normal pregnancy has also been found to result to back pain due to increased over stretching of muscles and increased strain. In addition Inflammation of the spine can also lead to back pain, cancerous tumors affecting the musculoskeletal system have also been found to cause this kind of pain. Other medical complications such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis that are common in people over fifty years have been found by researchers to lead to back pain (Vanwye, 2010). On the other hand, the most prominent signs and symptoms of back pain include persistent pain at the back, inflammation of the back muscles, increased body temperatures and sometimes weight loss. The causes of back pain are usually varied but any complication with the various components of the back such as the ligaments, nerves, muscles, tendons and joints can easily result in back pain. With particular focus to Chiropractic treatment of back pain, this paper critically analyzes the various conventional and alternative treatment methods for back pain as well as the effectiveness of combined therapies. Conventional treatment The current conventional treatment methods for back pain focuses on the symptoms as well as the possible causes of the pain. Physical therapy is one of the commonest conventional treatment methods usually prescribed for patients suffering from back pain (Chou, 494). Generally physical therapy involves making the patient to engage in a number of exercises that are particularly designed to strengthen and improve the normal functioning of the patient’s spine. For example stretching exercises are usually recommended for patients who have compressed spinal nerves. In this regard, the exercises may be specifically designed to loosen up the compressed muscles and nerves and relieve the pain. Stretching exercises may also help reduce back pains that result from conditions such as sciatica, herniated disc as well as spinal osteoarthritis. Low impact aerobic physical exercises such as walking and jogging can also be prescribed for back pain patients. These kinds of exercises are usually used to tone the lower back muscles as well as help lubricate the spinal joints by moving the fluids around the discs. A major limitation of physical therapy as a conventional treatment method for back pain is that it does not usually address the real cause of the back pain on the patient. Many researchers also believe that excessive exercises can result in further muscle strain at the back instead of treating the disorder. Another important conventional treatment for back pains is the use of medications. Both injectable and oral medications are normally used to reduce back pains particularly by alleviating the symptoms rather than dealing with the real cause of such pains. For example, back pain relief medications such as Asprin, Tylenol and Advil are commonly used to relieve back pain and inflammations in some patients. Other medications such as muscle relaxants are often prescribed to patients who suffer from acute back pains. On the other hand, the injectable medications may also be used for the treatment of back pains. Some of the common Invasive back pain medications include epidural steroid injections that are usually injected in the epidural space of the spines to relieve the pains such as those resulting from the irritation of the spinal nerves. Topical rub is also a common conventional treatment method used to treat acute pack pains and inflammation. Creams, hot and cold water may be used depending on the nature of the back pain. Alternative treatment for back pains There are a number of alternative treatments for back pains that are increasingly being prescribed by doctors to help relieve pain in back pain patients. Some of the commonly used alternative back pain treatment methods include chiropractic care, herbal treatments, back massage and acupuncture. For the patients whose back pains are caused by anxiety, depression and other stress related factors, alternative treatment methods can also include relaxation and the use of cognitive behavioral therapies to help them deduce emotional stress that is causing the back pain. One of the recent scientific studies on the effectiveness of alternative and complementary therapies in the treatment of back pains was carried out using a sample size of 270 individuals all aged ≥ 18 years (Connie, Freeborn, Rob, 38). Only persons suffering from neck, back and thoracic pain were however eligible to participate in the study. Randomized trials of various alternative therapies were carried out on the selected individuals and the observations regarding their efficiency, effectiveness and potential harm were recorded. The researchers obtained their measurements by using independent reviewers who analyzed the participants in terms of the outcome characteristics and treatment. The results of this research of the research indicated that combined therapies were significantly more effective compared to conventional and alternative treatment methods used separately on patients with chronic back pains. In a study designed to determine the benefits of combined therapies for back pain treatment, Hurwitz (612) selected 6 patients with internal Disc Derangement (IDD) and lumbar disc herniation for the research in a clinical setting. The patients were divided into three groups of two each where by one group was subjected to conventional treatment methods, another one to alternative treatment methods for back pain while combined therapies were used on the last group. It was noted that blending alternative treatments such as chiropractic care with the conventional treatment methods as a way of effectively relieving back pains. When combined with the other treatments like medications and physiotherapy, combined therapy was significantly effective in reducing low back pain, neck pain, sciatica as well as the other symptoms that are usually associated with spinal complications. Another research that sought to determine the current trends in the use of complementary therapies in treating back pains among adults in the United States, The researchers chose a sample size of 300 participants. Fill in questionnaires were used to the most preferred alternative treatment method for back pain problems among the selected participants. The results of the interviews suggested that Chiropractic treatment was the most effective treatment method for both neck and low back pain. Chiropractic treatment also proved to be cost effective compared to the other alternative back pain therapies such as apiculture. It was concluded that apiculture resulted in more harm to the patients compared to massage, medication, physiotherapy and other treatment methods. The outcome of this study also suggested that combined therapies are most effective in the treatment of back pains. The result of some trials were however inconsistent probably because of the methodological differences as well as clinical diversity. Generally the studies indicate that spinal manipulation (Chiropractic care) is just effective the same way as conventional medical treatments for back pain. The major limitation of both researches is the fact that the sample sizes used were small and not well designed. This consequently reduced the reliability of their findings. Apart from chiropractic treatment, another alternative treatment was found to be common among many participants of both studies was the use of herbal treatments (Haldeman, 1099). For example, some of the supplements were believed to have anti-inflammatory properties and this made them particularly suitable for reducing back pain. Both researches however failed short of determining the safety, reliability and efficacy of the use of herbal medicine. Many patients also report using acupuncture to help them treat the symptoms of back pain. Acupuncture generally involves inserting needles into particular parts of the body. This alternative treatment method is however considered to be more effective when used in conjunction with conventional treatment methods. On the other hand, massage is also increasingly being used by many practitioners and patients as an alternative treatment for back pains. Massages are particularly effective in the symptomatic relief of back pains that results from muscle spasms. Finally Magnet therapy is another important alternative remedy for back pains. Magnet therapy is however only effective when used alongside other conventional treatment options. According to many researchers, chiropractic care is one of the most effective among all the various alternative treatments for back pain. Generally chiropractic health care can be defined as the use of non surgical treatment methods for the complications affecting the musculoskeletal and nervous systems (Chou and Quaseem, 482). This is usually achieved through the manipulation of the spinal cord as well as the treatment of the other surrounding structures such as the ligaments, nerves, muscles, tendons and joints that are connected to the spine. In this regard, chiropractic treatment of the back pain are often primarily focused on treating the joint pains in the legs and arms, mid lower back pain, headaches as well as the neck pain. In most cases, chiropractic treatment has been known to be very effective in the treatment of various causes of back pains such as muscle strains, sports injuries as well as the symptoms like headaches, and the resultant pain in the arms, legs and in the neck. The theory behind chiropractic as an alternative back pain treatment is that aligning the spine and the surrounding musculoskeletal structures enhances the body’s ability to recover from the back pain without any need for medication or surgery. Consequently chiropractors often manipulate the spine and the affected surrounding tissues to restore them into their normal structures particularly after an accident, improper sitting for long hours and repetitive stress. During the treatment, a chiropractor is often required to diagnose the real cause of the back pain and determine whether physical manipulation of spine and musculoskeletal structures of the back is appropriate for the patient. Some of the notable benefits of this method of back pain treatment include the fact that it is safe and is particularly effective for acute back pains that often results from sudden accidents and injuries. According to many researches, chiropractic treatment is also affective in relieving headaches and neck pains that are often caused by spinal and musculoskeletal complications at the back. Spinal manipulation is however not recommended for the treatment of back pains that result from inflammatory arthritis, osteoporosis and spinal cord compression. Combined therapy Many studies recommend blending alternative treatments such as chiropractic care with the conventional treatment methods as a way of effectively relieving back pains. When combined with the other treatments such as topical rub, medications and physiotherapy, Chiropractic care has been known to be significantly helpful in reducing low back pain, neck pain, sciatica as well as the other symptoms that are usually associated with spinal complications. For example by combining chiropractic with low impact aerobic and stretching exercises, both the symptoms and the possible causes of the back pain are addressed. Additionally by combining various aspects of conventional medicine such as radiology and surgery in diagnosis with chiropractic care, it has been noted that back pain can be effectively be reduced within a comparatively short time. This is particularly beneficial to the patients since it reduces the length of time required for complete recovery. On the other hand, the long term benefits of combined therapies include reduction of muscle spasms as well as reduced cases of reoccurrence of the back pains. Researches also indicate that chiropractic care is a relatively harmless treatment method if undertaken by experienced practitioners and therefore blending it with the other conventional therapies enhances the recovery of patients. Generally chiropractic and conventional medical approach to treatment of back pain complement each other. Conventional medical approach is useful in diagnosis of the condition as well as treatment but to facilitate recovery and relieve pain and consequently it becomes of essence to use chiropractic approach. According to Hawk and Lisi (497), the benefits associated with the blending of the two medical approaches are more than the risks. One of the primary risks of combined therapy for back pains however is the fact that in some cases such as in patients suffering from inflammatory arthritis, only conventional treatment methods may be required. In such cases, spinal manipulation can cause further harm to the back pain patient and is therefore not recommended. Conclusion In conclusion, although most of the conventional treatment methods for back pain are effective in relieving back pain symptoms, they do not often address the real causes of the pain. Combine d Chiropractic intervention therefore enables the practitioners to deduce the pain in the short time as well as address the cause of the back pain in the long term. Combined chiropractic therapy therefore provides a clinical advantage over the other conventional and alternative therapies when used on their own. Works Cited Barnes P, Powell and McFann Nahin. “Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States.” CDC Advance Data Report 343(2002):27-38. Web. 22, April, 2012. Connie, Freeborn, Rob Lynda . “Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Back Pain II:Which therapies are used as complementary to conventional care of Back pains?”Physiol Ther 8(2003): 21-39. Print. Chou Roger . “Nonpharmacologic therapies for acute and chronic low-back pain: a review of the evidence for and American Pain Society.” Annals of Internal Medicine147.7(2007):492–504. Chou, Roger and Quaseem, D., Owens. “Diagnosis and treatment of low-back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society.” Annals of Internal Medicine147.7(2007):478–491. Haldeman S, Kohlbeck. “Stroke, cerebral artery dissection, and cervical spine manipulation therapy.” Journal of Neurology,249.8(2002):1098–1104. Hawk C, Khorsan and Lisi A., Ferrance. “Chiropractic care for nonmusculoskeletal conditions: a systematic review with implications for whole systems research”. Journal of Alternative Medicine 13(2007): 491–512. Hurwitz, E., Morgenstern. A randomized trial of chiropractic and medical care for patients with low back pain: eighteen-month follow-up outcomes from the UCLA low back pain study. Spine31.6 (2006):611–621. Vanwye, WR “Nonspecific low back pain: evaluation and treatment tips.” The Journal of family practice 59 (2010): 445-448. Print. Read More