News posted on February 08, 2009 06:24
A 78-year-old man was suffering from increasing pains he
described as “achy low back pain” for two years and had progressively
worsening pain in his legs that he described as “sharp, electric
and crampy.”
An MRI showed severe degenerative lumbar (low back) stenosis.
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a condition resulting in narrowing
of the spinal canal and pressure on the spinal cord and/or the
nerve roots.
The man was treated with Chiropractic treatment with added
traction for the low back, with the traction force being cautiously
increased as the patient responded well to the care.
After two weeks the patient said he was much better. By the end
of the intensive phase of care, the patient had significant decrease in
the frequency and intensity of his leg symptoms and complete relief
from his low back pain.
His improvements were maintained with follow-up visits.
Had the patient taken the usual medical route for this condition,
here’s the “treatments” he would have been likely to encounter,
with no more than a 62% chance of success:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, naproxen,
ibuprofen; Analgesics, such as acetaminophen; Cortisone injections
into the spinal cord; A lumbar brace; Surgery to increase the opening
through which the nerves travel or to fuse spinal segments.
The possible side effects of the surgery include:
“Death, hemorrhage, gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract
problems, respiratory complications, cardiac problems, postoperative
infections and central nervous system problems.”
SOURCE: http://www.chiropracticresearch.org/News_case_study_chiropractic.htm
This case was published in the May 2001 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological
Therapeutics (JMPT); http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/spinsten/stenosis/sten03.html
http://www.spinalstenosis.org/laminectomy.php