June 15, 2016

What to do with non-specific low back pain.

That is the question.

Well, the first question might be "what is non-specific low back pain (NLBP)?". NLBP is generalized low back pain of an unidentified origin or cause. It may be acute, coming on quickly and lasting a short time, subacute lasting 6 to 12 weeks while chronic lasts more than 12 weeks. (1) Non-specific low back pain can be quite frustrating for the Georgetown low back pain sufferer who just wants relief. Understandable. Physicians of all sorts are trying different exercise approaches to help these back pain patients. Your Georgetown chiropractor is right there with these colleagues and offers via Dr. Butwell a variety of approaches: spinal manipulation, exercise, nutrition, electrical stimulation, etc., as part of our Georgetown chiropractic services to help. Here, Dr. Butwell wants to share what the medical literature is saying about some new exercise types for non-specific low back pain.

And motor control exercises for patients with non-specific low back pain are gaining popularity. These exercises focus on the activating deep trunk muscles to restore control and coordination of these muscles. A Cochrane Review reports that motor control exercise is probably more effective than a minimal intervention for reducing pain but not quite as effective for disability. (2) Dr. Butwell knows no one approach usually does it all alone. That’s why Dr. Butwell designs and individualized treatment plan to be most effective for you and your back pain relief.

Interestingly, researchers note that chronic non-specific low back pain sufferers are more visually dependent for posture control. To test this, a study was done to have these chronic non-specific low back pain patients do stabilization exercises with their eyes open and eyes closed. The results show that the stabilization exercises made them less visually dependent as they gained stability. (3) It's another therapeutic approach to add to the treatment plan for some Georgetown chiropractic patients with back pain!

And a third therapeutic approach that may well help some of our Georgetown back pain chiropractic patients involves breathing exercises. A couple of researchers report that breathing patterns differ between those with low back pain and those without low back pain. Wow! They further explain that some other researchers note differences in lung capacity and diaphragm mechanics in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain. So a complimentary/alternative therapy like breathing exercises may help in the treatment of chronic non-specific low back pain. (4) Dr. Butwell loves to have so many tools in our therapy bag to help our Georgetown low back pain patients find relief.

Dr. Butwell has enough years of experience with low back pain relief to know that people all respond differently to different on-their-own exercises and therapies to help their Georgetown back pain relief. Dr. Butwell also knows that in working with each patient as an individual, together we’ll find the right treatment plan to allow maximum low back pain relief. Dr. Butwell is in this with you!

Contact Dr. Butwell today to set up your next Georgetown chiropractic visit.