About 80 percent of Americans will suffer low back pain severe enough to send them to their medical doctor or to their chiropractor for help. Sometimes they wind up having surgery. What is the current thinking about the treatment options a person should follow for this very common condition?
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) established a precedent-setting health care policy on January 1, 2012, which required their patients to undergo a three-month course of chiropractic, physical therapy and non-opioid medication before having advanced imaging – for example, MRI or CT – and before surgical consultation.
UPMC is a global, nonprofit health enterprise with 54,000 employees. It has been consistently ranked in the top 20 on the US News & World Report honor roll of the best hospitals in America over the past decade.
Chiropractic care has been recommended for low back pain and other back problems for many years by a number of studies. As far back as 1993 the US government’s Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research found that a chiropractor should be your first stop for this problem.
For more information about back pain, see our article Back Problems.
Our office is in the Bedford area and we will be happy to offer a one-on-one consultation to you or a loved one who is suffering from back problems. Please give us a call.