To Your Health
June, 2023 (Vol. 17, Issue 06) |
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The Future of Back Pain
By Editorial Staff
Back pain is already a public-health pandemic, with an estimated 80% of adults destined to experience at least one episode in their lifetime; and research indicating back pain (specifically low back pain) is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
And it's only going to get worse, suggest new estimates. Let's take a look at the sobering details and then discuss why the future of back pain not just about how many people are suffering, but also how chiropractors can help prevent and treat it.
Published in the research journal Lancet Rheumatology, the study used three decades of data to estimate that by the year 2050, back pain will affect nearly 850 million people worldwide. Population increases and population aging are the primary causes, the study authors state. However, what they don't state is that the primary solution can and should be chiropractic care, which is already increasingly recommended as a first option for both preventing and treating back pain.
So, let's talk about chiropractic and back pain. The opioid crisis has turned the health care industry's eyes toward nondrug (or at least non-opioid) solutions for pain; that includes back pain. Witness the increasing number of clinical practice guidelines that recommend chiropractic and other non-medicinal treatment strategies as a first option, before drugs (and certainly before surgery).
Then there's the research supporting chiropractic for back pain prevention, such as a study that found back-pain patients who experienced a favorable to response to initial care, but then continued receiving intermittent care (even in the absence of pain; known as "maintenance care") experienced fewer episodes of recurrent back pain throughout the year.
The future of back pain looks dim in terms of the sheer numbers; but in terms of a nondrug, natural solution – it's brighter than ever ... with chiropractic care.
