Managing Low Back Pa in in Older Adults
Health scientist Alan Jenks con
ducted an individual participant data meta-analysis and shows that sp
inal manipulative therapy (SMT) provides similar outcomes for pain an
d function as recommended therapies like exercise.
Ch
iropractic care for low back pain (LBP) in older adults is effective
and safe, with improvements seen in pain and functional status, espec
ially within the first three months of care. Three main pain trajecto
ries were observed: improvement from severe pain, improvement from mo
derate pain, and stable moderate pain; most older adults improve, but
a subset remain stable or worsen over a year. Measurement tools (RMD
Q, ODI, QBPDS) are reliable for tracking disability in this populatio
n. Healthcare utilization is high, with varied use of medical and com
plementary services but few adverse events. More research on identify
ing which older adults benefit most from specific treatments is neede
d.
The study shows that the recovery process varies from person to person. Some of the older adults who visited a chiropractor for l ow back pain experienced improvements in pain and function, especiall y in the first few months after starting treatment. Others noticed li ttle change or experienced an increase in symptoms. This underscores that results can vary from person to person, and additional support o r other treatments may be necessary. It is important that older adult s and their families find the approach that works best for them and d iscuss their choices with healthcare providers.
More informatio n on the thesis
DESCRIPTION: Managing Low Back Pain in Older Adults Health sci entist Alan Jenks conducted an individual participant data meta-analy sis and shows that spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) provides similar outcomes for pain and function as recommended therapies like exercis e.