New York City Chiropractic Healthy News - March 2018

Healthcare professions are establishing recommendations for practitioners to abide by when providing health care in hopes of opening conversations between patients and their healthcare providers and among healthcare providers themselves. Your New York City chiropractor at Rosenberg Wellness Center is always ready for such a conversation about New York City back pain. Back pain is a huge health concern upsetting 80% of us in New York City at some point in life. Back pain is managed by many types of physicians in many types of specialist societies. Their societal recommendations are comparable concerning imaging (Do not perform within the first 6 weeks of pain except if there are “red flags.”), attempting non-surgical care ahead of imaging and/or referring for back surgery, and progressing the patient care from passive care to active care. For example, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recommends not ordering repeat epidural steroid injections without evaluating the reaction to the latter one and not prescribing opioid drugs for acute disabling low back pain without evaluation and a test of other alternatives. (2) The American Chiropractic Association recommends not ordering repeat imaging to see how the patient is responding, not getting spinal imaging for acute low back pain in the first 6 weeks of pain unless there are red flags, and avoiding 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 unless there are severe or progressive neurological deficits or a suspicion of an underlying condition. (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 suggesting 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 6 weeks of non-specific acute low back pain without red flags. (6) The Danish Health Authority recommends not referring patients for back surgery for a lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy except if the severe and debilitating back pain continues for 12 weeks in spite of non-surgical treatment. (7) It’s up to you, the New York City back pain patient or concerned loved one, to choose wisely the path of care for back pain relief. Use these professions’ recommendations for back pain care to start a conversation with your New York City chiropractor, your New York City back pain specialist, at Rosenberg Wellness Center as you decide on the type of care suitable for your New York City back pain relief.

 

TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Non-Surgical Interventions for New York City Back Pain

Common New York City non-surgical interventions for New York City 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 New York City back surgery is spinal manipulation (10) of which 90% (11) is performed 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 emphasis as pain reduces – matches Choosing Wisely recommendations as it works toward 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 in absence of red flags. Bring your New York City back pain to Rosenberg Wellness Center! Make it your first New York City back pain relief healthcare stop!