This article
appears in the Spring 2015 edition of Veterans’ Wellness - A
Guide to Healthy Living for Veterans in Upstate New York[1]
Back
pain - specifically lower back pain - is very common among Veterans and causes
significant disability. Given the prevalence of this condition, the Canandaigua
VA Medical Center is carrying out three studies to help identify effective treatments.
Results
of two of the studies, which involved 380 Veterans from the Greater Rochester
area, were recently published in the journals Chiropractic &Manual Therapies and Geriatric
Orthopaedic Surgery & Rehabilitation.
The third study is expected to be completed in December, according to Paul
Dougherty, DC, staff chiropractor and chiropractic residency director at
Canandaigua VA Medical Center and Institutional Review Board chair at Syracuse
VA Medical Center.
“Our
research so far shows that treatments including spinal manipulative therapy and
active exercise can relieve lower back pain,” Dougherty says. In spinal
manipulative therapy, a chiropractor applies pressure to the spine to promote
movement in spinal joints that are not moving well. Active exercise is exercise
patients perform on their own at a doctor’s direction.
Another
finding is that fear of pain may actually make back pain worse. “It is
important that people with lower back pain continue to remain active and
engaged in their lives and not let the pain defeat them,” he says. “If you are
suffering from lower back pain, talk to your VA provider about what treatment alternatives
are best for you.”
[1] DeLancey,
Darlene A., M.S., and Kathleen Hider, eds. "VA Research Update: Back Pain
Treatments." Veterans' Wellness Spring 2015: 11. Print.
