Chiropractic vs. Spinal Decompression for acute lower back pain.

Many patients present to my office with acute lower back pain. Acute lower back pain can have a variety of causes. These causes include:

1. Disc injuries (bulging, protruding, or herniated discs)
2. Facet joint injuries
3. Sacroiliac joint injuries
4. Muscle spasm/strain
5. Nerve impingement
6. Ligament sprain
7. Gait abnormalities (foot, ankle, knee, hip issues)

The cause of the injury and the tissues involved will direct the course of treatment. All patients suffering from acute lower back pain should have a thorough consultation, complete medical history, orthopedic and neurologic examination, and any diagnostic studies (i.e. - x-rays, MRI, nerve conduction, etc...) necessary for proper diagnosis. These examination procedures should be sufficient to accurately diagnose the patient's condition.

I have personally found that chiropractic is a very effective drug-free, non-surgical tool for most acute lower back injuries. I will usually reserve the use of the DRX 9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System for bulging, protruding, or herniated discs. Any patients interested in the DRX 9000 for treatment of their disc injuries will require an MRI of the lumbar spine to assess the severity of their condition. It is also important to rule out any contraindications to treatment with the DRX 9000 such as instability in the spine, prior fusion surgery in the region being treated, and cancer. More information regarding the DRX 9000 can be found at:

• www.DrGordonOnline.net
• www.AxiomWorldwide.com
• www.MyDiscPainReport.com
  

Is Back Surgery Your Best Option?

Many patients suffer from back pain of a variety of causes. Frequently, they are encouraged to rush to back surgery in order to eliminate their pain as soon as possible. Unfortunately for many patients, they find out too late that invasive back surgery is not the answer to their prayers.

Despite the progress and improvements in surgical techniques, surgical outcomes have not improved significantly. Back surgery has some of the poorest outcomes among all surgical interventions. In fact, in a 7 to 20 year follow up study to document the outcomes of disc surgery in the medical journal Spine the conclusion was that “the long term results of standard lumbar discectomy are not very satisfying. More than one-third of patients had unsatisfactory results and more than one quarter complained of significant residual pain.” (Spine. 1999 Nov 15;24(22):2313-7). Another recent survey of back surgery patients revealed that they only have a 53% satisfaction rate following their back surgery. These numbers are not very promising. Orthopedic surgeons have even coined a name for a new condition related to the poor outcomes of back surgery and the residual pain and disability following back surgery - "Failed Back Surgery Syndrome".

So you may be asking yourself, when is back surgery warranted and absolutely necessary. Most physicians agree that at best, spinal surgery should only be used for those patients who have altered bowel and/or bladder function (severe constipation, inability to empty the bladder, or loss of bladder control), those who have tried everything else, have excruciating leg pain, or something called neurological deficits or progressive motor weakness (like foot drop).

In our next blog I will be discussing non-surgical alternatives for back pain relief. These options will include chiropractic, spinal decompression, acupuncture, physical therapy, and rehabilitation.

If you'd like to access more information regarding these treatment options, go to www.DrGordonOnline.net or www.MyDiscPainReport.com.