Chiropractic technique procedures for specific low back conditions: Characterizing the literature

Objective: The purpose of this case report is to describe the clinical presentation and chiropractic management of Tietze syndrome. Clinical Features: A 34-year-old woman presented with unexplained left-sided chest pain. Electrocardiogram and radiographs were taken at a medical emergency department to rule out cardiovascular and pulmonary causes, and pain medication did not relieve her pain. Physical examination showed tenderness on palpation and swelling of the second and third chondrosternal joints, as well as thoracic joint dysfunction. Heart and lung pathology was ruled out, and chondrosternal joint swelling was present, Tietze syndrome was diagnosed. Intervention and Outcome: A treatment plan aimed at restoring normal thoracic and rib joint movement and decreasing inflammation of the chondrosternal joints resulted in lower pain levels. Treatment consisted of diversified high-velocity, low-amplitude chiropractic manipulation; activator technique; and cryotherapy. Conclusion: Chiropractic management of Tietze syndrome was successful in reducing pain levels in this patient's case.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Clinical presentation and chiropractic treatment of Tietze syndrome: A 34-year-old female with left-sided chest pain

Gijsbers

Knaap²

2011

“…7 It appears that there are mixed research results for SMT, with Assendelft et al 25 reporting no evidence that any therapy including analgesics, exercises, physical therapy, back schools, and SMT is superior to the other. Many studies are citing statistics that reflect that LBP will resolve in about 6 weeks regardless of the treatment received, but Croft et al 26 showed how only 8% of patients with LBP consulted with the initial physician even though 75% continued to have complaints, which may cause a wrong assumption that the patient has recovered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has been trying to determine what category of those with LBP will benefit most from what treatment method, but results are still inconclusive. 7 Because education, ergonomics, and medical treatments have not reduced the incidence rate, many people are turning to complementary and alternative medicine for answers. 6 Musculoskeletal problems are common in the military, and one study reported that as many as one-third of United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel use some form of complementary and alternative medicine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chiropractic management of a veteran with lower back pain associated with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophy and degenerative disk disease

Roberts

Wolfe

2012

Objective: The purpose of this article is to report the response of chiropractic care of a geriatric veteran with degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. Clinical Features: A 74-year-old man presented with low back pain (LBP) and loss of feeling in his lower extremities for 3 months. The LBP was of insidious onset with a 10/10 pain rating on the numeric pain scale (NPS) and history of degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophy. Oswestry questionnaire was 44% and health status questionnaire was 52%, which were below average for his age. The patient presented with antalgia and severe difficulty with ambulation and thus used a walker. Intervention and Outcome: Chiropractic care included Activator Methods protocol. Two weeks into treatment, he reported no back pain; and after 4 treatments, he was able to walk with a cane instead of a walker. The NPS decreased from a 10/10 to a 0/10, and his Revised Oswestry score decreased from 44/100 to 13.3/100. His Health Status Questionnaire score increased 25 points to 77/100, bringing him from below average for his age to above average for his age. Follow-up with the patient at approximately 1 year and 9 months showed an Oswestry score of 10/100 and a Health Status Questionnaire score of 67/100, still above average for his age. Conclusion: The findings in this case study showed that Activator-assisted spinal manipulative therapy had positive subjective and objective results for LBP and ambulation in a geriatric veteran with degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.

“…[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] In a randomized clinical trial comparing chiropractic treatment to physical therapy, patients with radiculopathy did significantly better with flexion-distraction treatment than with physical therapy. 39,40,47 In a cadaveric study, flexion-distraction in the lumbar spine was shown to create an increase in posterior disk height, thereby opening the vertebral canal and facet joints, reducing posterior disk stress and intradiscal pressure, and increasing the intervertebral foramen area by up to 28%, giving more space for the nerve or dorsal root ganglion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chiropractic treatment of a pregnant patient with lumbar radiculopathy

Kruse¹,

Gudavalli²,

Cambron

2007

Objective: The purpose of this report is to describe chiropractic treatment of lower back and unilateral leg pain in a pregnant patient. Clinical Features: A 26-year-old woman in her second trimester of pregnancy had severe pain in her lower back that radiated to her hips bilaterally and to her right leg. She reported tingling down her right lower leg to the dorsum of her foot. Although no diagnostic imaging was performed, her differential diagnoses included lumbalgia with associated radiculopathy. Intervention and Outcome: Treatment consisted of manual traction in the side-lying position using a specialized chiropractic table and treatment technique (Cox flexion-distraction decompression) modified for pregnancy. Relief was noted after the first treatment, and complete resolution of her subjective and objective findings occurred after 8 visits. Conclusion: When modified, this chiropractic technique appears to be an effective method for treating lower back pain with radiation to the leg in a pregnant patient who cannot lie prone.