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Chiropractic Better Than Drugs for Back Pain

Here in our Springfield, MA office, Dr. Michael Delson has helped several people recover from back problems. If you are suffering from back pain, you've most likely been tempted to take some medications to relieve the discomfort. You should understand that research indicates that chiropractic care is usually a better choice than drugs when it comes to alleviating this specific type of pain.

In a 2013 study published in the journal Spine experts included 101 men and women who had experienced back pain for more than two days. Each individual was then assigned to one of three groups. The first group, which was made up of 37 people, received chiropractic care and a placebo of the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac. The second group of 38 individuals received sham chiropractic treatments and the actual drug. The third group of 25 individuals acted as the control as those individuals received sham chiropractic care and also received the placebo, thus having no real care at all.

Both of the groups that received some type of real treatment, whether through chiropractic care or the NSAID, fared better than the control group who had no actual therapy. However, when the two active groups were compared to one another, the patients who received chiropractic adjustments had results that were "significantly better" than those who took the medications.

Natural Healing with Chiropractic Care

Because chiropractic care is non-invasive and involves no use of medication, it helps enhance healing without negative side effects. For example, anti-inflammatory drugs can result in ulcers, high blood pressure, and other serious health complications. Plus, the benefits of chiropractic last longer as it's intended to resolve the source of the spinal interference, not just treat the symptoms.

If you're ready to address your back pain naturally, then chiropractic is for you. Make an appointment in our Springfield, MA office with Dr. Michael Delson today at (413) 788-4464. We'll help relieve your back problems in a healthy way!

References

von Heymann WJ, Schloemer P, Timm J, Muehlbauer B. Spinal high-velocity low amplitude manipulation in acute nonspecific low back pain: a double-blind randomized controlled trial in comparison with diclofenac and placebo. Spine 2013;38(7):540-548.

If you are suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome after an auto collision, don't worry. Dr. Michael Delson sees this type of problem frequently in our Springfield, MA office. Let's look at why thoracic outlet syndrome is commonly experienced after an auto injury and see how chiropractic can help you get better.

The thoracic outlet is a bundle of nerves and blood vessels that travel through your neck and shoulder to your arm. These nerves and blood vessels don't have a lot of room, so they pass underneath and between the strong bands of muscles that support your head.

In a collision, these muscles can be stretched and strained. If damaged, the muscles become inflamed and tender, and they can develop scar tissue which limits motion and puts pressure on the tissues of the thoracic outlet. Pressure on the nerves can cause tingling or numbness in the shoulder, elbow and even the hand. Pressure on the blood vessels can also cause problems in the arm.

Springfield, MA Thoracic Outlet Treatment

Chiropractic adjustments can be an effective way to treat thoracic outlet syndrome, as Dr. Michael Delson will help improve mobility in your spine and restore normal nerve function in your neck and shoulder.

If you've been injured in a car crash and you're suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome, Dr. Michael Delson is here to help. First, we'll do a careful examination to figure out the root cause of your pain, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (413) 788-4464 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

When performing activities that require a lot of lower body movement, like football, soccer, and basketball, it's not at all uncommon to sustain some type of injury to your lower extremities. Between pulled hamstrings, sprained ankles, knee injuries, and more, many players have found themselves sidelined. Dr. Michael Delson has seen all of these problems in our Springfield, MA patients. The good news is, chiropractic can help prevent some of these injuries from developing and research proves it.

Research Supports Chiropractic Helps With Sports Injuries & Recovery

Dr. Michael Delson keeps current with all of the recent scientific research, and in a report published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, researchers from Macquarie University in Australia studied 59 semi-elite Australian Rules footballers. Roughly one-half were placed in a control group and the other half were put in a therapy group that received sports chiropractic care at regular intervals. During the first six weeks, this meant getting care once every week. The following three months consisted of an adjustment every two weeks before reducing those to one visit monthly for the final three months of the study.

Researchers noted that there was a "significant" difference in the number of lower limb strains the players received in the treatment group when compared to the control. In addition, they observed that the subjects who received chiropractic also had fewer weeks of missed practice and games as a result of non-contact knee injuries. This led them to determine that sports chiropractic intervention should be added to "the current best practice management."

Every major sports organization in the US and the US Olympic Team has chiropractors on staff for their players, because they know that chiropractic really works. If you live near our practice in Springfield, MA and would like to see if Dr. Michael Delson can help you boost your performance or reduce sports injuries, give our office a call today at (413) 788-4464 for an appointment.

Dr. Michael Delson Can Help Clients Find Comfort From Sports Injuries and Recover Faster

If you're struggling with severe pain, Dr. Michael Delson and our staff are here to help you recover. Give our Springfield, MA office a call today at (413) 788-4464 for an appointment today.

Bibliographic Reference

Hoskins W, Pollard H. The effect of a sports chiropractic manual therapy intervention on the prevention of back pain, hamstring and lower limb injuries in semi-elite Australian rules footballers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2010;11(64).

In our Springfield, MA office, it's common for us to see people struggling with sciatica, and Dr. Michael Delson has helped many of these people heal with chiropractic. What makes chiropractic care so beneficial to those who suffer with sciatica? For starters, it shortens their recovery time and a Norwegian medical study confirms it.

In the study, which took place in a Norwegian hospital's orthopedic division, researchers looked at 44 patients who reported sudden low back pain that was identified as acute sciatica. The individuals were all treated by a chiropractor, with the average follow-up being two years after treatment.

The researchers found that all but two patients returned to their jobs after receiving chiropractic care, which is a 95% success rate. Furthermore, the average amount of time that the individuals spent off work "was reduced by two thirds as compared with that associated with conventional medical treatment."

Given the fact that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over 170,000 workdays were missed in 2013 due to employees dealing with back or spine-related issues, that is nearly 112,500 work days that could potentially be recovered each and every year solely by receiving chiropractic care. Not only could that increase work productivity, but it would also reduce costs to businesses and employees from lost work.

If you live in Springfield, MA and you suffer with sciatica pain, Dr. Michael Delson is here to help. Give us a call at (413) 788-4464 and we'll work with you to find the root cause of your sciatic pain and get you back on the road to recovery.

Orlin JR, Didriksen A. Results of chiropractic treatment of lumbopelvic fixation in 44 patients admitted to an orthopedic department. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2007;30(2):135-139.

Neck and headache pain are common problems that affect millions of men and women around the world. If you are dealing with this type of issue, you're not alone. The good news is that chiropractic is the best way to not only treat these common issues, but also help prevent future episodes.

Research Proves Chiropractic Helps With Neck Pain and Headaches

For many years, patients with neck and headache pain in Springfield, MA have been helped by the chiropractic care of Dr. Michael Delson. Our experience is backed up by a recent review done in Canada that found that non-surgical, non-drug treatments are the best choice for neck and headache pain.

The report looked at 15 studies from 1990 to 2015 and found that conservative treatment comprised of chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and stretches was suggested before resorting to drugs or more invasive procedures.

Past scientific studies have shown that chiropractic is effective and safe for neck pain and many other health conditions.

We Can Help Patients Find Comfort From Neck Pain and Headaches

If you're struggling with neck pain or headaches, Dr. Michael Delson and our staff are here to help you feel better. Give our Springfield, MA office a call today at (413) 788-4464 for an appointment today.

Reference

Varatharajan S, Ferguson B, Chrobak K, et al. Are non-invasive interventions effective for the management of headaches associated with neck pain? An update of the Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. European Spine Journal 2016; February 6:1-29.

There are many different kinds of headache, but one of the most common types is known as "cervicogenic headache," or those that start in your neck.

Dr. Michael Delson sees a lot of people in our Springfield, MA office who are struggling with frequent, reoccurring headaches. Thankfully, chiropractic adjustments can usually help, potentially reducing these types of headaches by 50%, and research confirms it.

A study was conducted involving 80 participants who reported experiencing at least five cervicogenic headaches during the prior three months. The objective was to discover how effective chiropractic care was for this type of head pain, as well as to ascertain the number of treatment sessions required to achieve a positive effect.

The patients were split into four separate groups, so that each group was similar in age, gender, number of cervicogenic headaches, and their intensity. Of the four groups, two engaged in chiropractic treatments and two received light massage. Furthermore, one group assigned to each treatment received eight sessions and the other patients received twice that amount.

Each person was assessed based on head pain, neck pain, and disability prior to the study and 12 and 24 weeks after treatment was complete. The researchers found that those who received chiropractic as opposed to massage reported fewer headaches at the conclusion of the study. Furthermore, improvements were maintained when checked six months after treatment ended.

Furthermore, participants who were taking medications for their headaches were able to lower their intake after completing the study. Those who received chiropractic care had lower drug usage 24 weeks post-study.

Dr. Michael Delson has helped many people who were suffering from headache pain in our Springfield, MA office. Call us today at (413) 788-4464 for more information or for an appointment.

Haas M, Spegman A, Peterson D, Aickin M, Vavrek D. Dose response and efficacy of spinal manipulation for chronic cervicogenic headache: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The Spine Journal 2010; 10: 117-128.

Dr. Michael Delson sees many people weekly in our busy Springfield, MA chiropractic office who are looking for relief from the pain and agony they feel due to herniated discs. Our experience isn't unique; the medical research verifies that chiropractic is a successful way to treat herniated disc pain.

Don't Suffer! Dr. Michael Delson and Chiropractic Care Helps With Disc Herniation

One particular study involved 27 people, 8 male and 19 female, who had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirming a disc herniation in either their neck or lower back. The individuals documented that they were experiencing pain, limited range of motion, and sensory problems bad enough to keep them off work.

During the course of the research study, the participants were treated using one of two common chiropractic techniques: traction for herniated discs in the cervical area or flexion distraction for the people who had herniation issues in the lumbar area.

Each person was seen four or five times per week for the first two weeks, then three times weekly, and then as needed for the remainder of the study. Depending on the extent of the disc herniation, therapy ranged anywhere from six weeks to six months, with MRIs being performed at a variety of stages to identify what effect, if any, the chiropractic care was having in regard to the disc herniation.

Research Shows Chiropractic Helps With Back Pain and Herniated Disc

The investigators reported that 80 percent of the patients obtained a "good clinical outcome," meaning reduced pain and a reduction in other issues, such as numbness. Furthermore, 77 percent of these subjects also showed MRI evidence that their disc herniation was either reduced or resolved completely. This resulted in 78 percent of the study participants being able to return to their place of employment and led the researchers to conclude that chiropractic adjustments is both "safe and helpful" for disc herniations.

If you have a herniated disc and suffer from chronic back pain and are near Dr. Michael Delson in Springfield, MA, contact our office today to see what chiropractic can do for you!

Reference
BenEliyahu, DJ. Magnetic resonance imaging and clinical follow-up: study of 27 patients receiving chiropractic care for cervical and lumbar disc herniations. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 1996;19(9):597-606.

In our Springfield, MA practice, we see a large number of people who are dealing with back pain, and a few of these people have been informed they might need surgery to recover. Thankfully, Dr. Michael Delson has helped many people get pain relief without the need for any type of surgical treatment. The scientific literature confirms the results we see in our office. One medical study published in the medical journal Spine found that seeing a chiropractor as your first step in overcoming with your back pain may actually keep you off of the operating table.

In this report, medical researchers from Dartmouth analyzed data from about 1,900 workers from the state of Washington who first saw either an orthopedic surgeon or a chiropractor for their back pain issues. They then examined three years' worth of follow-up medical information to ascertain whether the patients wound up having back surgery in an attempt to treat the problem.

What the researchers discovered was that about 43% of the patients who first consulted with a surgeon for their back pain ended up having a surgical procedure in that 3-year time frame, whereas only 1.5% of those who first saw a chiropractor had the same fate. The authors wrote:

"Even after controlling for injury severity and other measures, workers with an initial visit for the injury to a surgeon had almost nine times the odds of receiving lumbar spine surgery compared to those seeing primary care providers, whereas workers whose first visit was to a chiropractor had significantly lower odds of surgery."

These are impressive outcomes. Visiting a chiropractor considerably reduces your odds of getting back surgery, plus the chiropractic patients in this study "had lower odds of chronic work disability" and they also had fewer expensive MRI tests.

Let's also take into account this important point: this study was carried out by orthopedic surgeons from Dartmouth College, and published in the world's most prestigious medical publication on spinal injury.

The Risks of Surgery

Any surgery has risks, but a serious problem associated with spine surgery is that there is a very high rate of failure. In an important review in the European Spine Journal, researchers wrote:

"Failed back surgery is a problem that has become sufficiently widespread to even warrant its own special conferences, with recent reviews reporting failure rates ranging from 5 to 50%."

The experts in this same study concluded:

"It is extremely difficult to identify unequivocal predictor factors that can be used to accurately predict the outcome of surgery."

As a chiropractor, Dr. Michael Delson believes that surgery should be the absolute last choice for treating back pain. Chiropractic care works to restore your spine to its normal function--without high-risk surgery or drugs--and many research studies have established the effectiveness of chiropractic for back pain.

If you live in Springfield, MA and you need care for your back pain, give our office a call today at (413) 788-4464 for a consultation or an appointment. We'll help get you back on the road to a pain-free life!

Studies

• Keeney BJ, Fulton-Kehoe D, Turner JA, Wickizer TM, Chan KC, Franklin GM. Early predictors of lumbar spine surgery after occupational back injury: results from a prospective study of workers in Washington State. Spine 2013;38(11):953-964.
• Mannion AF, Elfering A. Predictors of surgical outcome and their assessment. European Spine Journal 2006;15(Suppl 1):S93-S108.
  

Back Pain is a common condition after a car accident, and it's something that Dr. Michael Delson sees often in our Springfield, MA office. Your chiropractor can be very helpful for back pain symptoms after a crash. Let's see what causes back pain and why chiropractic works.

During a rear-end auto collision, your car and car seat are quickly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curvature of your spinal column, the car seat can put uneven pressure on your lower back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential movement can sprain or strain the tissues that hold your spine together. This kind of injury can cause chronic back pain if not treated right away. Fortunately, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

Dr. Michael Delson is here in Springfield, MA to help you recover from back pain. We've been helping patients since 1996 and we can probably help you, too. First, we'll do a careful examination to determine the root cause of your pain, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (413) 788-4464 to make an appointment.

Since trauma to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is often rather painful, we do our best to help our Springfield, MA patients find relief as quickly and effectively as possible. In fact, Dr. Michael Delson will tell you that the medical research shows just how much chiropractic can help ease discomfort in the TMJ.

For example, one study published in Physiotherapy Theory and Practice involved 15 people with temporomandibular disorders who were managed with neck adjustments, middle-back adjustments, and trigger point therapy via dry needling. Individuals were assessed prior to these methods and at 15 days and two months post-treatment. The clinicians reported positive results such as reduced pain, greater jaw movement, and lower disability at both follow-ups.

Another group of researchers conducted a review of almost 800 studies involving manual and manipulative therapy for disorders such as TMJ and found similar results. They concluded that there is a "fair...level of evidence" that chiropractic care can help ease discomfort associated with jaw pain and other upper extremity disorders.

This is great news since the origins of TMJ are largely unknown. While trauma to the jaw or neck can cause pain symptoms, there are other factors to consider as well, such as bruxism, osteoarthritis, and clenching of the jaw due to tension.

No matter what is making your jaw hurt, call Dr. Michael Delson today and schedule an appointment to come into our Springfield, MA location. We'll do our best to help you smile pain-free!

Studies

• Gonzalez-Iglesias J et al. (2013, November). Mobilization with movement, thoracic spine manipulation, and dry needling for the management of temporomandibular disorder: a prospective case series. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice;29(8):586-95
• Brantingham J et al. (2013, March-April). Manipulative and multimodal therapy for upper extremity and temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics;36(3):143-201
• Oral Care. WebMD. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/temporomandibular-disorders-tmd on November 2, 2015