Reduced likelihood of gabapentin prescription in US adults receiving chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain

Medical Xpress / University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center / BMJ Open ^ | July 25, 2023 | Robert J Trager et al

[ConservativeMind]

A new study conducted by researchers sheds light on potential benefits of chiropractic care for adults with radicular low back pain (i.e., sciatica).

The study investigated the relationship between chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (CSMT) and the prescription of gabapentin, an off-label treatment for radicular low back pain.

The researchers hypothesized that adults under 50 years of age receiving CSMT for newly diagnosed radicular low back pain would have reduced odds of being prescribed gabapentin over a one-year follow-up period. Using a retrospective cohort study design, the research team analyzed data from a large U.S. health care network comprising millions of patient records.

The CSMT cohort had significantly lower odds of receiving a gabapentin prescription compared to the usual medical care cohort. The odds ratio was 0.53 (p<0.0001), indicating a meaningful reduction in gabapentin use among patients who received chiropractic care for radicular low back pain.

"We are excited by the implications of our findings, which suggest that chiropractic care could offer benefits to managing low back pain and lead to greater concordance with clinical practice guidelines with respect to medication prescribing," said Robert J Trager, DC. "While chiropractic spinal manipulation is already recommended for low back pain, this study re-affirms its utility and sheds light on its other potential pain management benefits."

As the medical community continues to seek ways to improve patient care, studies like this one contribute valuable insights into the potential benefits of CSMT for low back pain. With this study, the authors build on their previous work, which showed that recipients of CSMT were less likely to be prescribed a benzodiazepine, and other studies, which showed a similar finding with opioids.

[ConservativeMind]

What did they think and do and what did you have?

[ConservativeMind]

Please look into the following information on boron helping osteoarthritis:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3761669/posts?page=39#39

[AppyPappy]

The chiro thought it was a “back issue” but it was sacroiliitis. My doctor ordered an X-ray and found it.

[jpp113]

Pain was lumbar/sacro and was affecting the hips and ability to walk as well. According to my pain doc, Ablation is good for around 2 yrs (ymmv - I’m a year and change from the first procedure and all is still well), but the outpatient procedure is so easy, you can just keep having it done when the previous one wears off (the nerves will grow back). A crap load better than being stoned on opiates all the time (not that you can even get them prescribed anymore anyway). The procedure worked better for me than opiates ever did. Having my first cervical spine ablation in about a week from today. The preliminary outpatient procedures for that (they inject cortisone and a pain killer near the target nerves - if the pain goes away after, they know they are targeting the correct ones and they schedule the actual ablation) indicate that that ablation will work just as good as the lumbar ablation procedure

[Magic Fingers]

Thanks much for the info. My pain is from osteoarthritic projections in the L3-L4 vertebrae and is in the rt. lumbar/sacro area (and into my thigh). I’ve had two numbing/cortisone injections and they relieved the pain, but only for a relatively short time. The spine/pain doc has mentioned ablation as a possible next step...if it goes that route I’m hopeful that my results will mirror yours!