Explaining Lower Back Pain
Do you suffer from lower back pain? It is now the leading cause of disability worldwide. Guidelines for back pain recommend seeing a chiropractor or another healthcare provider before medication is prescribed, such as pain relievers or opioid-based painkillers. (2, 3)
Back pain can be frustrating and debilitating. Because so many people suffer from back pain, doctors often don’t know what’s causing it, since back pain usually isn’t the result of something like a fracture or an infection.1 It’s often caused by a change in the way your back moves and functions, which alters the way your brain perceives what’s happening in your back. (4–7)
Chiropractic care alleviates lower back pain and can even prevent the pain from becoming chronic. This is because chiropractic care improves the way the spine moves and enables the brain to properly sense and control the spine, promote healing, and prevent injuries. (8,9)
Many studies have been conducted on the effects of chiropractic care on lower back pain. One study has shown that the sooner a person receives chiropractic care, the better the long-term results are.¹⁰ This is likely because chiropractic care alters the way the brain functions and specifically affects the part of the brain involved in the development of chronic pain. (8, 9, 11, 12)
This means that chiropractic care can prevent the brain from learning to experience pain.
This study also showed that people who received regular chiropractic care—even if they did not have back pain—experienced an average of thirteen fewer days of lower back pain over the course of the year-long study than those who only visited a chiropractor when they had back pain.10 In another study involving 750 military personnel with lower back pain, thirteen researchers investigated what happened when they added chiropractic care to the standard medical care the participants were receiving. In this study, they found that the group that visited a chiropractor for six weeks experienced less severe back pain and fewer days of work disability than the group that received only standard medical care.
In addition, the chiropractic group was more satisfied with the care they received, felt they had made more progress, and reported using fewer medications to manage their back pain compared to those who received only standard medical care.
Keep in mind that chiropractic care offers much more than just relief from back pain. Chiropractic care is about improving communication between your brain and your body⁹ so that you can function at your best.
So if you want to keep back pain at bay or simply function at your best, see your chiropractor, because research shows that your spine and your brain will thank you for it.
References
Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. Lancet 2018;391(10137):2356-67. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30480-x
Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain 2017;166(7):514-30. doi: 10.7326/m16-2367 %m 28192789
Corp N, Mansell G, Stynes S, et al. 2021;25(2):275-95. doi: 10.1002/ejp.1679
Hodges PW, Danneels L. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2019;49(6):464-76. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.8827
van Dieën JH, Reeves NP, Kawchuk G, et al. 2019;49(6):370-79. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.7917
Hodges PW. 2011;21(2):220-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2011.01.002
Meier ML, Vrana A, Schweinhardt P. 2019;25(6):583-96. doi: 10.1177/1073858418809074
Haavik H, Murphy B. 2012;22(5):768-76. doi: 10.1016/j.jelekin.2012.02.012
Haavik H, Kumari N, Holt K, Niazi IK, Amjad I, Pujari AN, Türker KS, Murphy B. 2021; doi: 10.1007/s00421-021-04727-z.
Eklund A, Jensen I, Lohela-Karlsson M, et al. 2018;13(9):e0203029. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203029
Lelic D, Niazi IK, Holt K, et al. 2016;2016:3704964. doi: 10.1155/2016/3704964
Seminowicz DA, Moayedi M. 2017;18(9):1027-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.03.008
Goertz CM, Long CR, Vining RD, et al. 2018;1(1):e180105. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0105
Acknowledgments
Dr. Heidi Haavik - B.S. (Physiology), B.S. (Chiropractic), Ph.D.
Dr. Kelly Holt - BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD
Dr. Jenna Duehr - BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc
