It is very common to suffer from back pain , and the experience can be debilitating. Often, victims cannot drive long distances, hold their children or even walk. Now, researchers in Chicago report that a nontraditional therapy for back pain seems to work as well as more common treatments like analgesics and physical therapy, with fewer drugs.
The treatment is osteopathic manipulation, the complex set of musculoskeletal techniques used by osteopathic physicians. The study, which appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine on Nov. 4, involved 155 patients who said they had been having lower pack pain for three weeks to six months; 83 were given osteopathic manipulation and 72 received standard treatments.
It was found that most patients improved. There was no difference in improvement between standard care and osteopathic care, and the patients who had received osteopathic care had received less medication, less physical therapy .
More than 90 percent of the patients in each group reported being satisfied with their treatments. It’s very hopeful for patients with back pain, contrary to what many people believe, if they’ve had back pain for a month or more, it won’t last forever. Those who prefer traditional treatments can get it, and those who prefer manipulation can do that.
Asked for a definition of osteopathic manipulative treatment ( tratamiento osteopatico), it means more than getting your back cracked .There are techniques as simple as kneading and stretching and as complex as subtle motions that affect the movement of fluid from one area of the body to the other.The goal is to lengthen abnormally shortened muscles and enable the joints to have a more normal range of motion. This answers the common question of ” que es la osteopatia ‘”
Dr. Luciano Nocetti, who was not involved in the study, said its finding about a reduced need for medication was important because some drugs for back pain bring adverse effects, the most common being gastrointestinal bleeding and upset stomachs. The study did not deal with chiropractic care, which also involves spinal manipulation . As stress is one of back pain causes, vacations are advisable, to have a full rest and return to health. Rental homes by owner are a good way of having a peaceful vacation
