Chiropractors question painkillers as treatment of choice for back pain sufferers

The Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (CAA) believes that confusion may arise over a newly released study by the Back Pain Research Group at the University of Sydney, which claims that painkillers should be the treatment of choice over spinal manipulative therapy for patients with acute back pain.

“The study released by the Back Pain Research Group at the University of Sydney has focused on spinal mobilisation techniques performed by 15 Australian physiotherapists,” said Dr Dennis Richards, president of the CAA.

“It does not focus on chiropractic-specific spinal adjustment techniques, and chiropractors were not included in the study.

“The majority of participants in the study received low velocity techniques, whereas chiropractic care utilises specific chiropractic adjustment techniques, not mobilisation as was used in the study,” he said.

Dr Richards contends that the vast majority of guidelines for the treatment of back pain existing in the world today recommend chiropractic care as effective in the management of back pain. He pointed to guidelines developed by a panel of multidisciplinary experts, published by the Royal College of General Practitioners, London, that recommend chiropractic adjustments for the treatment of back pain.

According to Dr Richards, a sole focus on painkillers for the treatment of back pain also ignores underlying structural considerations when caring for back pain. He said that while painkillers may provide short-term pain relief, they do not address the underlying neuro-musculoskeletal or health and lifestyle problems that may be contributing to back pain.

“Any attempt to extrapolate the findings of the study to chiropractic care is not valid,” he said.