Tailoring Treatment for Patients with Lower Back Pain
Chiropractic care is so effective in treating patients with all kinds of musculoskeletal problems because of its individual focus. Every patient who walks into a chiropractic clinic in an effort to get treatment for a given musculoskeletal problem is afforded an individualized care pathway and interaction with a chiropractor to ensure that the best possible decisions are being made. When it comes to lower back pain, this is especially the case.
Chiropractors are tasked with determining what is causing lower back problems for all patients that they treat. If chiropractors approach each and every scenario in which a patient is experiencing lower back pain in the same fashion, the chiropractor would be doing a huge disservice to the patient. Specifically tailored care pathways that are going to meet the needs of each individual patient are necessary, and chiropractors understand that.
Alignment problems that are occurring in one patient may be different in another patient despite the similar symptoms occurring. One vertebra could be out of line in one patient, and even if the vertebra just above it is out of line another patient, the treatment that the chiropractor chooses could be completely different. Chiropractors can use adjustments that require an instrument for one patient while a manual adjustment may be the better choice for the problems that another patient is experiencing. Once vertebrae are realigned, any nerve pressure is relieved which can often help heal the affected area.
Research has shown that patients who receive treatment that is specifically targeted to the area that they are experiencing negative symptoms in have much better outcomes, compared to patients that receive a comprehensive treatment for the entire spine altogether. We can associate a higher level of risk for further injury when a chiropractor is not paying specific attention to the location of the symptoms, and in some cases, a total realignment of the spine may actually prove detrimental to the patient’s musculoskeletal health.
Diagnostics and communication are of the utmost importance in chiropractic care. If chiropractors are cognizant of this fact, then each patient can leave the clinic feeling confident that they got the best treatment possible for their specific problem. Through thorough examination, adjustment and exercises, lower back pain can be relieved without the need of powerful medications or invasive surgery.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Yutaka Seki