May 27th, 2009 Yesterday UK headlines and media focused on the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the treatment of back pain explicitly backing the use of complementary therapies including spinal manipulation, massage, acupuncture and exercise. This is good news for back pain sufferers, and good news for a local Lancashire practice offering this treatment. American chiropractor Dr Jeff Shurr, founded the first chiropractic practice in Lancashire in 1989. Chiropractic Associates, now located in Walton le Dale, offers evidence based care for back pain sufferers. The care team comprises chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists and exercise therapists. Dr Shurr comments: “ The NICE guideline offers good news for back pain sufferers, and very good news for our practice, as we offer precisely the care that is recommended. The guideline covers the early treatment and management of persistent or recurrent, non-specific low back pain that has lasted for more than 6 weeks, but for less than 12 months. The key focus is to assist self-management through advice and information. The treatment and management strategies include spinal manipulation, massage, acupuncture and exercise therapy, which aim to reduce pain and its impact on the person’s day-to-day life. For twenty years this has been our goal as a multidisciplinary, evidence based practice. These guidelines add to a substantial body of evidence over recent years supporting our care. In 1990 the Medical Research Council published its findings in the British Medical Journal demonstrating chiropractic care to be more beneficial than outpatient hospital treatment. Invitations to speak to most Lancashire hospitals and postgraduate medical groups in the area followed soon after, leading to the largest purchasing of chiropractic services by the NHS in the country at that time. I contributed to national guidelines published by the British Chiropractic Association and spoke nationally and regionally regarding the purchase of chiropractic by the NHS. Further research including the follow up MRC study in 1995, the BEAM study, and our own participation in a two year national and local Lancashire hospital study gave further evidence supporting the benefit, safety and cost efficiency of our care. The NICE guideline is impressive and a welcome support of the continued purchase of our services by the NHS.” If you would like further information regarding the best treatment of back pain ring or email the practice.
|
