Study Shows Chiropractic Most Effective Care for Lower Back Pain

A study published on January 03, 2023, in the Journal of Orthopedics and Sports Medicine showed that chiropractic care was more effective in helping people with lower back pain (LBP) than usual medical care or conservative care. According to the authors, the purpose of the study is to "…describe  the  current  evidence  for  the  effectiveness  of chiropractic spinal manipulation in comparison to the conservative intervention on Low Back Pain (LBP)."

The study researchers reviewed scientific literature on chiropractic care related to lower back problems. The researchers used the PubMed database and searched for the terms chiropractic and lower back pain. They reviewed the studies they found for both the results that they described and for the scientific strength of the articles in the various journals.

In much of this paper, the authors interchange the terms "Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT), Mobilization, Manipulation, and Spinal Manipulation." Within the chiropractic profession, specific forms of "adjustments" are the more common term used by chiropractors as manipulation can relate to procedures not commonly performed as part of chiropractic care.

The authors do note how widely accepted chiropractic is for lower back issues. "Spinal manipulation or mobilization is recommended as an effective therapy for acute, subacute, and chronic LBP by four guidelines in total which include National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), The American College of Physicians Pain Society, European guidelines for chronic LBP, and European guidelines for acute BP."

In their results, the authors reported that "There is strong evidence that spinal manipulation or mobilization is a viable therapy choice for people suffering with subacute and chronic LBP. Evidence of moderate quality shows spinal manipulation or mobilization is a viable therapy choice for individuals with acute LBP and older adults with subacute and chronic LBP."

In this study, the authors also pointed out how safe chiropractic is. "When it comes to adopting the principle of ‘do no harm’, chiropractic has a significant advantage. Chiropractic, and especially SMT, is typically safe, according to different research literature. Research suggests that the risk of major harm from SMT is incredibly minimal. Almost all of the side effects associated with SMT are temporary and small. Overall, SMT has a high safety rating, particularly in comparison to alternative therapeutic methods."

In the study discussion and conclusion, the authors report on the effectiveness of chiropractic for lower back pain by stating, "SMT which is delivered by chiropractors, is a regularly utilized treatment that has consistently excellent effects in terms of pain intensity and functionality in a civil population." They continue, "Either chiropractic spinal manipulation alone or integrative care is effective for patients with acute, subacute, and chronic LBP in reducing pain, increasing range of motion, improving disability, enhancing general health and returning to work. Chiropractic care seems to be more effective than conservative intervention for LBP in reducing pain, increasing range of motion in lumbar spine, improving disability status, and enhancing general health."