CHOOSING WISELY (1) - WHAT TO DO ABOUT BACK PAIN
Healthcare professions are setting
forth 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
Pensacola chiropractor at Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center is always ready for such a
conversation about Pensacola back pain. Back pain is a big
health issue distressing 80% of us in
Pensacola at some point in life. Back pain is handled by many kinds of physicians in many kinds
of specialist societies. Their societal recommendations are comparable
regarding imaging (Do not order within
the first 6 weeks of pain unless there are “red
flags.”), attempting non-surgical care ahead of
imaging and/or referring for back surgery, and progressing
the patient care from passive 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 trial of other
alternatives. (2) The American Chiropractic Association recommends not doing
repeat imaging to monitor progress of care,
not obtaining 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 avoiding
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 obtaining
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 using EMG studies to determine 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 devoid of 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 persists
for 12 weeks despite
non-surgical treatment. (7) It’s up to you, the Pensacola back
pain patient or concerned loved one, to choose wisely the path of
care for back pain relief. Consider these professions’
recommendations for back pain care to begin a conversation
with your Pensacola chiropractor, your Pensacola back pain specialist, at Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center as you choose the type of care suitable for your Pensacola
back pain relief.
Listen to this PODCAST
from the Back Doctors' Podcast series about two cases of back pain helped with Cox Technic, one with imaging and all sorts of care and the second case without any imaging studies.
TIP OF THE MONTH: Try Non-Surgical Interventions for Pensacola Back Pain
Common Pensacola non-surgical interventions for
Pensacola 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 Pensacola back surgery is spinal
manipulation (10) of which 90% (11) is delivered by
chiropractors. The Cox Technic System of Spine Care - spinal manipulation with
exercise, nutrition and passive care for pain and inflammation reduction with more
active care importance as pain decreases - fits
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 Pensacola back pain to Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center! Make it your first Pensacola back pain
relief healthcare stop!