How good is spinal manipulation for chronic low back pain? At Cranbourne Chiropractic Centre low back pain is the number one condition treated. So how does chiropractic care compare?
From the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) comes a study entitled “Benefits and harms of spinal manipulative therapy for the treatment of chronic low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials” BMJ 2019; 364:1689
Researchers conducted 47 randomized controlled trials involving 9,211 adults.
Five insights from the study:
1. They found spinal manipulation alleviated lower back pain as effectively as exercise, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers.
2. Spinal manipulation appeared to be more effective at improving short-term function than exercise, NSAIDs and painkillers.
3. Spinal manipulation was a better option for pain relief than non-recommended interventions, such as light tissue massage, and sham manipulation treatments.
4. The most common side effects associated with spinal manipulation — joint and muscle pain or stiffness — typically go away within a matter of days.
5. Spinal manipulation may decrease pain caused by muscle strain, spasms and inflammation, study authors concluded.