Lower back pain and inflammation. Can Chiropractic care for lower back pain change inflammatory markers? Cranbourne North chiropractor, Dr Shaun Beovich, sheds some light on lower back pain and a preliminary study that indicates some promising results.
About 3.7 million Australians (16% of the population) have back problems. It is estimated that 70–90% of people will suffer from lower back pain in some form at some point in their lives. And no wonder, as we seem to be stuck in a pattern of sitting throughout the day. From breakfast to getting to work, on the computer at work and then getting home and sitting at the end of the day again.
Low back pain causes inflammation around the joints, nerves and ligaments. This inflammation can be measured by checking inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP).
An interesting study focused on the link between chiropractic care and inflammatory markers, giving preliminary indications that chiropractic can make a difference in terms of inflammation.
The study took chronic pain sufferers, who received chiropractic adjustments to the lower back and compared their inflammatory markers with a pain-free control group.
9 chiropractic visits over a two-week period was given, and key inflammatory markers (IL-6 and CRP) were evaluated. The adjustments specifically targeted the lower back.
Through double-blinded testing, the researchers arrived at the conclusion that chiropractic adjustments reduced inflammatory markers. The results showed normalising inflammatory markers.
This is good news for low back pain suffers and chiropractors. Back pain can take time to heal but after just 2 weeks of chiropractic care, the body can start to normalize inflammation levels.
This study adds to the various studies have shown that chiropractic care is effective for managing low back pain. To learn more about chiropractic and if it can help your lower back pain visit www.cranbournechiro.com.au or check our youtube channel.
References
Roy, R, Boucher, J and Comtois, A (2010), “Inflammatory response following a short-term course of chiropractic treatment in subjects with and without chronic low back pain,” Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2010 Sep; 9(3):107-114.