We see a number of people with back pain in our North County St. Louis, MO practice, and Dr. Holland has been able to help a lot of them get relief through various chiropractic techniques. At the same time, dealing with back problems doesn't necessarily mean having to decide between chiropractic care and medical care, as many people utilize both types of care with great results.
In a report published by the academic journal Spine researchers1 looked at a group of active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35 who claimed both acute discomfort and limited function due to back symptoms. Some of the test subjects received treatment via standard medical therapy, while the rest received chiropractic care along with regular medical care, as researchers wanted to determine which group fared better.
Researchers determined that the group that got standard medical care in combination with chiropractic scored "significantly better" than the group that received medical care alone; 73% reported positive benefits compared to just 17% of the medical treatment only group who indicated the same amount of improvement. This was true regarding both pain and level of function at the two- and four-week marks.
Therefore, incorporating these two forms of care can greatly benefit you--the patient--offering benefits when compared to medical care alone. However, while chiropractic care and medical approaches can work alongside each other, chiropractic offers some unique strengths over medical therapy.
Although it may seem as if each method plays a 50-50 role, there is one major benefit that chiropractic has over medical care and that is in patient satisfaction. In fact, a piece of research from UCLA2 that was printed in the American Journal of Public Health found that, on average, chiropractic patients are generally more satisfied with their recovery than those undergoing medical care.
According to the researchers, the main aspects that patients preferred over medical care were "self-care advice and explanation of treatment." This isn't unexpected, as chiropractors typically spend much more time consulting with their patients as to how they can improve their health on their own, as well as discussing more carefully what to expect from chiropractic.
Certainly, the techniques associated with chiropractic are very different than those offered with medical care, but a great deal of the difference is the fact that chiropractic is a natural approach to health and wellness. In contrast to focusing on simply relieving the symptoms, chiropractic care means finding the root cause of your pain, which often translates to greater improvement as you are tackling the problem at its source.
Furthermore, while medication is sometimes helpful for managing certain conditions, many health issues respond well to natural forms of treatment like chiropractic care. This means fewer negative side effects from prescriptions and lasting results.
You don't have to endure back pain or other health issues. Give our North County St. Louis, MO office a call today at (314) 867-8888. We'll do everything we can to help you get and continue to be free from back pain.
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We have a long-standing track record or helping people get out of pain with chiropractic care. Whether you were injured last week, or have been suffering from chronic pain for years - It might only take one visit to our office in Downtown Saint Louis, MO to get you back on the path to everyday health.
