July 2006

Mayo clinic publishes backache guide

The Mayo Clinic has published a new online guide to help consumers make decisions concerning treating back pain. The guide emphasizes using noninvasive therapies before seeking surgery, but don’t look for an early mention of chiropractic in it.

Under the subheading “Treatment Options,” the guide says:

“Treatment options include a variety of conservative approaches such as medications, exercise and physical therapy, and counseling, or they include more aggressive approaches such as surgery. However, because nonspecific back pain often improves on its own or with conservative approaches, that’s likely where you and your doctor will first focus your efforts. You’ll likely reserve discussion of surgery or other more invasive procedures for later consideration.”

Chiropractic is recommended under “complementary and alternative treatment” — options that are given after a description of invasive treatments.

In its introduction to CAM, the guide says, “Consider these approaches as possible tools to help you with pain relief and comfort. An approach such as exercise therapy is really what helps make your tissues healthier and stronger. So even though the following passive therapies have their place, it's better to take as active a role as you can in helping yourself get better.”

The passage on “Spinal Manipulation” states:

“This treatment involves your health practitioner using his or her hands to apply sudden force to the joints in your back. In the United States , spinal manipulation is most commonly performed by chiropractors, but the technique is also used by osteopathic physicians, sports medicine doctors, physical therapists and others to treat restricted spinal mobility.

“The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease pain. Spinal manipulation is a low-risk procedure that may provide increased mobility and emotional and psychological benefits. Studies also reveal weak evidence for the effectiveness of chiropractic treatment for low back pain, and that improvements may be temporary.”

The other sections under CAM treatments include acupuncture, massage, biofeedback, traction, ultrasound, and yoga.

The guide can be accessed at http://mayoclinic.com/health/back-pain-treatment/BA99999.

Source: Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com

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