Aug 16

Choosing Chiropractic Care FIRST Makes a Difference: Reduced Gabapentin Prescription, Reduced, & Healthcare Use

Choosing Chiropractic Care FIRST Makes a Difference: Reduced Gabapentin Prescription, Reduced, & Healthcare Use

Back pain is challenging. Its sufferers want relief. Wouldn’t it be great if a pill would do it?! Many back pain sufferers enter the back pain relief medical system and are prescribed meds first. They take them with hope for relief of pain. (Because this is so common, we chiropractors recognize that we need to be well-trained in identifying patients who may have a substance use issue and know how to help if the use is an issue. (1) ) Recent research notes that the first-choice healthcare provider makes a difference in patients’ utilization of healthcare services. A review of 29,806 patient cases that looked at the year following the first visit for back pain found that utilization of healthcare services was less for those who chose chiropractic first. The highest health care utilization was noted for those who went to the emergency room as their first step into healthcare for back pain relief. (2). Another study noted that for patients under 50 years old who are experiencing low back pain, two common options of care and of care providers are spinal manipulation from a chiropractor and pharmacological prescription of gabapentin from a medical provider. Prescriptions for gabapentin were significantly less for those who underwent chiropractic spinal manipulative care than those who underwent usual medical care. (3) Your chiropractor recognizes the value of interdisciplinary care and works with healthcare colleagues for the benefit of our back pain patients whenever possible and the value of provider choice in terms of relief and care. We are confident we can help our back pain patients!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Kurt Olding on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson about the many choices back pain patients in “The Spine Care ‘Supermarket’” and how choosing The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Managementhelps manage the pain.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Improve Hip Flexibility, Relieve Back Pain

When the hips are tight, the back gets stressed, and movement is altered. Remember: Everything is connected! Researchers who compared hip rotation range of motion in participants who had back pain and those who didn’t found that those with low back pain had remarkably restricted hip lateral rotation range of motion. (4) Luckily, there are ways to improve hip flexibility. One new way is auricular acupressure. What is that? Ask at your next appointment, but it improved hip flexibility (and back pain!) in one new study. (5) Another study touted the benefit of core stability exercise and hip muscle stretching as effective at improving physical function and activity in non-specific low back pain patients. (6) Let’s check your hip flexibility out at your next appointment and plan a way to maximize it!

We look forward to seeing your spine (and you!) soon!

References for HEALTHY NEWS – August 2023

  1. Gliedt JA, Reynolds M, Moonaz S, Long CR, Russell R, Schneider MJ. Identifying and addressing patient substance use: a survey of chiropractic clinicians. Chiropr Man Therap. 2023 Jul 3;31(1):18. doi: 10.1186/s12998-023-00490-4. PMID: 37400861; PMCID: PMC10316550.
  2. Bise CG, Schneider M, Freburger J, Fitzgerald GK, Switzer G, Smyda G, Peele P, Delitto A. First Provider Seen for an Acute Episode of Low Back Pain Influences Subsequent Health Care Utilization. Phys Ther. 2023 Jun 28:pzad067. doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzad067. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37379349.
  3. Trager RJ, Cupler ZA, Srinivasan R, Casselberry RM, Perez JA, Dusek JA. Association between chiropractic spinal manipulation and gabapentin prescription in adults with radicular low back pain: retrospective cohort study using US data. BMJ Open. 2023 Jul 21;13(7):e073258. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073258. PMID: 37479505; PMCID: PMC10364168.
  4. Khayam Nekoie F, Kouhzad Mohammadi H, Afshari-Safavi A, Mahdidust Jalali H, Taheri N. Assessment of Hip Range of Motion Limitations in Cases with Low Back Pain Based on the Classified Movement System Impairment. Adv Biomed Res. 2023 Jun 30;12:169. doi: 10.4103/abr.abr_337_22. PMID: 37564432; PMCID: PMC10410431.
  5. Lee EJ, Noh JH, Kim EK, Lee CA. Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Hip Flexibility and Pain in Taekwondo Participants: Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Manag Nurs. 2023 Aug;24(4):e46-e51. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2023.03.009. Epub 2023 May 29. PMID: 37258401.
  6. Kim B, Yim J. Core Stability and Hip Exercises Improve Physical Function and Activity in Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2020 Jul;251(3):193-206. doi: 10.1620/tjem.251.193. PMID: 32669487.