CHOOSING WISELY (1) – WHAT TO DO ABOUT BACK PAIN
Healthcare professions are setting
forth recommendations for practitioners to follow when providing health care with hopes to stimulate conversations between patients and
their healthcare providers and among healthcare providers themselves. Your
Fort Wayne chiropractor at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc is always ready for such a
conversation about Fort Wayne back pain. Back pain is a big
health issue upsetting 80% of us in
Fort Wayne at some point in life. Back pain is managed by many kinds of physicians in many kinds
of professional societies. Their societal recommendations are similar
concerning imaging (Don’t order in
the first six weeks of pain except if there are “red
flags.”), attempting non-surgical care before
imaging and/or referring for back surgery, and progressing
the patient care from passive care to active care. For example, the American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation recommends not ordering repeat epidural steroid
injections without evaluating the response to
the last one and not prescribing opioid drugs for acute disabling
low back pain without evaluation and a test of other
alternatives. (2) The American Chiropractic Association recommends not doing
repeat imaging to see how the patient is responding,
not obtaining spinal imaging for acute low back pain in the first
6 weeks of pain unless red flags are present,
and avoiding long term usage of passive care
but instead move the patient to active care. (3) The American
College of Emergency Room Physicians recommends sidestepping
lumbar spine imaging in non-traumatic back pain unless there are
severe or progressive neurological deficits or a suspicion of an underlying condition.
(4) The American College of Physicians recommends not ordering
imaging studies in patients with non-specific low back pain. (5) The North
American Spine Society recommends not advocating bed rest for
more than 48 hours for low back pain, not using EMG studies to establish the cause of spine pain, and not doing
advanced spinal imaging (ex MRI) in the first 6 weeks of
non-specific acute low back pain with no red flags. (6)
The Danish Health Authority recommends not sending patients for
back surgery for a lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy unless the severe and debilitating back pain continues
for 12 weeks regardless of
non-surgical treatment. (7) It is up to you, the Fort Wayne back
pain patient or concerned loved one, to choose wisely the course of
care for back pain relief. Consider these professions’
recommendations for back pain care to begin a conversation
with your Fort Wayne chiropractor, your Fort Wayne back pain specialist, at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc as you decide
on the type of care proper for your Fort Wayne
back pain relief.
Listen to this PODCAST
from the Back Doctors' Podcast series about two cases of back pain helped with Cox Technic, one with imaging and all sorts of care and the second case without any imaging studies.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Non-Surgical Interventions for Fort Wayne Back Pain
Common Fort Wayne non-surgical interventions for
Fort Wayne back pain relief are pain medications, exercise, manual
manipulation, massage, and heat/ice. (8, 9) Included in the top non-surgical
interventions to try before Fort Wayne back surgery is spinal
manipulation (10) of which 90% (11) is delivered by
chiropractors. The Cox Technic System of Spine Care – spinal manipulation with
exercise, nutrition and passive care for pain and inflammation reduction with more
active care importance as pain reduces – fits
Choosing Wisely recommendations as it seeks 50% relief of
pain within 30 days of care (which is more than the 30% or greater improvement
in self-reported pain and function sought by medicine [12])
before advanced imaging or surgical referral in absence of red
flags. Bring your Fort Wayne back pain to your Fort Wayne chiropractor’s
office! Make it your first Fort Wayne back pain
relief healthcare stop!
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."