PT. Physical therapy. Epidural steroids. Exercise. Spinal manipulation.
Conservative approaches to back pain and neck pain abound. Johnson Chiropractic emphasizes conservative care for Richmond back pain relief and neck pain relief! The costs associated with these conditions are exorbitant. Doctors, patients and insurers are frustrated. That’s where researchers come into play. Here are some specific studies Johnson Chiropractic found interesting yet controversial about epidural steroids in the care of Richmond back pain and neck pain. Johnson Chiropractic confidently offers non-surgical care in the form of chiropractic Cox Technic that offers Richmond lower back pain and neck pain sufferers a great chance of pain relief at a reasonable cost. Johnson Chiropractic knows that other conservative medical options are out there and work for some patients, too. We just want our Richmond patients to be aware of the research.
Epidural steroid injections should be banned. There is no support for their use. (1)
THEN…One pain center conducted 4 randomized controlled trials of lower back pain treated with caudal epidural injections. 480 patients were followed for 2 years. All patients showed significant improvement clinically. The average cost per one year was $2,172.50 for all patients and $1,966.03 for patients judged to be successful. These authors summarize that their care shows a better cost utility or lower cost of managing chronic, intractable low back pain with caudal epidural injections that is similar or lower in price than medical therapy only, physical therapy, manipulation, and surgery in most cases. (2)
THEN…Epidural steroid injections show no benefit for patients with lumbar herniated discs. (3)
THEN…The newest report shares that the superiority of caudal epidural steroid injection over NSAIDs in treating chronic low back pain of disc origin is not demonstrated. It goes on to point out that caudal epidural steroid injection shows some improvement in patients with degenerative lumbar disc disease, but that it should be used with caution. Patients must be told about realistic expectations on the success of treatment. (4)
AND THEN…Epidural steroid injections give short term but not long term relief of pain. (5)
So there you have some statistics to consider when deciding your conservative or other route to pain relief of your lower back pain condition be it disc herniation, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, or post-surgical continued pain. Johnson Chiropractic offers successful pain relief of these conditions!
Your Richmond chiropractor encourages you to look at every avenue of care before you decide on one or a combination of a few knowing that Johnson Chiropractic’s chiropractic care involves very gentle, safe Cox Technic to relieve your lower back pain. Contact us today. We are here to help!