A landmark study which was accepted in January, 2011 to be published in Spine looked at maintenance spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) for chronic, non specific low back pain (LBP) and whether there was a reduction of pain and disability levels over an extended period of time. About 85 % of LBP patients who seek treatment are of a non specific variety, where there is a lack of underlying pathology (bone or nerve). LBP is considered chronic when it has been present for over 12 weeks.
The study was divided into three groups: control (sham manipulation), SMT for one month, SMT for 10 months. Treatment was given three times a week for the first month of the study, with patients in both the SMT groups reporting significantly lower pain and disability than the control group. Following the second phase of treatment (10 months), patients who received bi weekly maintenance SMT had significantly lower pain and disability scores than those patients who did not have maintenance SMT. Although the outcome measures for both the SMT groups were similar after one month, the non maintenance SMT group gradually returned to pre treatment levels (similar to the control group) by the end of 10 months.
Not only did the maintenance SMT group who received care over 10 months have better results regarding their pain and disability levels than those patients who stopped care after one month, they also had improved lumbar mobility and better perceptions of general health. This study supports what chiropractors have been saying to their patients for years. Once the initial phase of treatment has been completed to stabilize your back condition, it is beneficial to consider monthly maintenance care to keep your spine functional and hopefully avoid acute episodes of back pain.
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