Ashburn and Herndon Chiropractic Healthy News - March 2018

Every profession is establishing recommendations for practitioners to follow when providing health care in hopes of opening conversations between patients and their healthcare providers and among healthcare providers themselves. Your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractor at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is always ready for such a conversation about Ashburn and Herndon back pain. Back pain is a huge health issue affecting 80% of us in Ashburn and Herndon at some point in life. Back pain is managed by many types of physicians in many types of professional societies. Their societal recommendations are related concerning imaging (Don’t do within the first six weeks of pain except if there are “red flags.”), attempting non-surgical care before imaging and/or referring for back surgery, and shifting the patient care from passive care to active care. More specifically, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recommends not ordering repeat epidural steroid injections without evaluating the reaction to the last one and not prescribing opioid drugs for acute disabling low back pain without evaluation and a trial of other alternatives. (2) The American Chiropractic Association recommends not performing repeat imaging to monitor progress of care, not obtaining spinal imaging for acute low back pain in the first 6 weeks of pain unless red flags are present, and staying away from long term usage of passive care but instead move the patient to active care. (3) The American College of Emergency Room Physicians recommends sidestepping lumbar spine imaging in non-traumatic back pain except if there are severe or progressive neurological deficits or a suspicion of an underlying issue. (4) The American College of Physicians recommends not ordering imaging studies in patients with non-specific low back pain. (5) The North American Spine Society recommends not advocating bed rest for more than 48 hours for low back pain, not ordering EMG studies to establish the cause of spine pain, and not ordering advanced spinal imaging (ex MRI) within the first six weeks of non-specific acute low back pain devoid of red flags. (6) The Danish Health Authority recommends not sending patients for back surgery for a lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy unless the severe and debilitating back pain continues for 12 weeks in spite of non-surgical treatment. (7) It’s up to you, the Ashburn and Herndon back pain patient or concerned loved one, to choose wisely the course of care for back pain relief. Consider these professions’ recommendations for back pain care to start a conversation with your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractor, your Ashburn and Herndon back pain specialist, at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn as you choose the type of care suitable for your Ashburn and Herndon back pain relief.

 

TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Non-Surgical Interventions for Ashburn and Herndon Back Pain

Common Ashburn and Herndon non-surgical interventions for Ashburn and Herndon back pain relief are pain medications, exercise, manual manipulation, massage, and heat/ice. (8, 9) Included in the top non-surgical interventions to try before Ashburn and Herndon back surgery is spinal manipulation (10) of which 90% (11) is done by chiropractors. The Cox Technic System of Spine Care – spinal manipulation with exercise, nutrition and passive care for pain and inflammation reduction with increased active care importance as pain reduces – matches Choosing Wisely recommendations as it seeks 50% relief of pain within 30 days of care (which is more than the 30% or greater improvement in self-reported pain and function pursued by medicine [12]) before advanced imaging or surgical referral without red flags. Bring your Ashburn and Herndon back pain to Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn! Make it your first Ashburn and Herndon back pain relief healthcare stop!