You probably know someone who has received a recommendation from their medical doctor to sign on for a spinal injection to treat their neck or back pain. Maybe you’ve been down this road yourself! What you may not know is that recent research indicates patients should think twice before scheduling that next shot. Not only have spinal injections been shown to increase the risk of experiencing a spinal fracture afterwards by 21%, but also that they do not provide as much pain relief as Chiropractic adjustments. That’s right - researchers have found that Chiropractic care can offer more significant relief than riskier treatments like spinal injections.
Using Medication Off-Label and Why You Should Care
Think of the most recent pharmaceutical commercial you watched. Do you remember that list of possible side effects and complications you heard - everything from diarrhea to death? Believe it or not, any of those crazy side effects and complications are to be expected when a medication is prescribed “on-label,” or for a particular condition as approved by the FDA. Of course, medications can also be prescribed by your doctor for any number of conditions that are not specifically on that FDA approved list. In other words, medication can be prescribed “off-label,” and it probably wouldn’t surprise you to know that using any medication “off-label” can increase your risk of experiencing even more side effects outside of those crazy commercial lists.
Injections Can Be Back Breaking
Did you know researchers have discovered a correlation between epidural steroid injections and spinal fracture risk? Specifically, new studies have indicated that there is a 21% increase in the risk of a patient experiencing a cracked or broken back after receiving an epidural steroid injection. The scary part is, over 9 million of these injections are given every year for spinal pain!
Can Pain Be a Good Thing?
Pain is your body's way of signaling to you that something needs your attention. In other words, when a problem occurs in your body due to ergonomic stress, restricted spinal motion, or degenerative changes, it uses pain to get you to take action and correct the problem. Think of PAIN as your body saying: “Pay Attention Inside Now!”
Believe it or not, pain is usually the last thing to show up and the first thing to leave after an injury. Just because your pain goes away, doesn’t mean the root cause that lead to that pain has been corrected. Many pain relief methods simply mask symptoms. Chiropractic adjustments, along with specific stretches and exercises, work to provide pain relief while also correcting the underlying problem.
You may know someone who has visited a medical doctor in the past with neck or back pain. Perhaps, an injection was given. Perhaps, as is often the case, their pain returned in a matter of days or weeks. Why? Because the medication had worn off and ultimately the real cause of the pain was not corrected. Often times pain has a mechanical cause, that chemicals only mask. The best approach for a mechanical problem is a mechanical solution!
Research has proven that Chiropractic care effectively treats the underlying mechanical and neural causes of neck and back pain. In fact, studies have shown that people seeking relief from their neck and back pain who received Chiropractic care often reported a 60% decrease in pain, which was nearly 10% MORE relief than those patients who opted for an injection instead.
▪ Pain is your body’s signal that something is wrong, especially when it comes to neck or back pain.
▪ Injections and medications often provide short-term relief from neck or back pain without correcting the cause.
▪ Adjustments have been shown to successfully treat the root mechanical & neural causes of neck or back pain.
If someone you know has or is considering receiving an epidural injection to treat their neck or back pain, share this research with them. Let them know that integrating ongoing Chiropractic adjustments into their care plan will result in a more significant outcome than that injection alone. If that someone is you, you’re in the right place! Give us a call or stop in and see us so we can get you on the path to relief from pain today!
Will Surgery Fix My Back?
We all know someone who has gone through spine surgery and has just never been the same. They may have gone into surgery hoping for a “quick” fix for 20, 30, or 40 years of neglect, but come out the same or worse than they began. Some people even go through multiple surgeries on a constant hunt to get back their quality of life.
Don’t Let a Disc Herniation Slow You Down
The truth is, you can have disc bulges and herniations that don’t cause pain. Our job is to perform a careful examination and determine which, if any, of your discs, are causing pain, numbness, or weakness. If you’re suffering from a disc bulge or herniation that is causing pain, adjustments may be just what the doctor ordered.
Can Chiropractic Care Correct My Neck Problem?
Have you ever had a nagging neck pain that slowed you down and kept you from doing the things you love? You’re not alone. Millions of people every year suffer from neck and arm pain caused by a disc herniation. Sometimes the pain is caused by an injury, other times people just seem to wake up one day with numbness or tingling.