Choose Our Low Back Pain Doctors in Springfield
It can be difficult to figure out what type of low back pain doctor to initially visit when it comes to low back pain. In 2015, a study reviewed this question and found that the type of health care provider a patient initially visited played a huge effect on both their short and long term prognosis.
In the 2015 study, researchers looked at 719 patients with low back pain. 403 of these individuals initially visited with a medical physician and the remaining visited with a chiropractor. The patients who visited the chiropractor experienced a greater reduction in their low back pain, and were much more satisfied with their experience. The average cost of chiropractic treatment was about $360 dollars lower than the average cost of treatment from an MD.
Another study in 2019 looked at medical records from over 216,000 patients with no use of opioid use and who had new onset back pain to see if initial provider choice had any influence on future prescription narcotic use. 22 percent of patients received a prescription for an opioid in the short-term, but, patients who consulted with a chiropractor first were less likely to require a short or long term prescription than those who visited an MD at first. Here is a quote from the researchers: “Incentivizing use of conservative therapists may be a strategy to reduce risks of early and long-term opioid use.”
One last study followed a set of 2,870 acute and chronic low back pain for four years. The research concluded that chiropractic care gave more favorable short term outcomes for patients with chornic back pain. Both acute and chronic low back pain patients reported better outcomes in the long term, mostly for the chronic patients with leg pain extending below the knee.
By seeing a chiropractor first, you can reduce your risk of needing a surgical procedure. In 2013, a study was done which looked at data from Washington state worker’s compensation cases and found that 43 percent of injured workers with a back injury who initially consulted with a surgeon ended up having a procedure, while only 1.5 percent of those who received chiropractic treatment eventually had a surgical procedure for their back pain.
At Back and Body Pain Relief in Springfield, we have the low back pain doctors ready to treat pain. Call us today or schedule an appointment to come in and see us. We’re here to help.
