Chiropractic Manipulation and Medical Care for Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Low Back Pain focused on measuring Manipulation, Chiropractic, Low Back Pain
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age: ≥ 18 years of age
- Ability to read and write English
- Experiencing a new episode of low back pain (LBP) with onset in the past 3 months
- Oswestry Disability Index score between 20-70 points (0-100 scale)
- Numeric pain rating score between 3-8 points (0-10 scale)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Prior history of lumbar spine surgery
- History of unstable spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, or scoliosis > 20°
- Signs or symptoms suggestive of nerve root tension and/or neurological deficit in the lower extremity
- History of metastatic cancer, osteoporosis, long-term corticosteroid use, or any other red flags of serious illness including the following: unexplained weight loss of >10% of body weight, spinal pain associated with fever, and severe night pain unrelieved by medication
- Receiving any physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, or any other manual therapy for this episode of LBP (within the past 3 months)
- Receiving any on-going medical care for this episode of low back pain
- Current use of opiate or other prescription medications for low back pain
Sites / Locations
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Center for Integrative Medicine
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Experimental
Active Comparator
Manual Manipulation
Mechanical Manipulation
Standard Medical Care
Doctor of chiropractic will apply manual high-velocity low-amplitude thrust to lumbar spine of research participants.
Doctor of chiropractic will apply a mechanically-assisted thrust to the lumbar spine of research participants using the Activator IV Instrument.
Patients will receive an examination with a physician who is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Treatment will consist of medical monitoring of the patient's condition over 4 weeks (baseline and 2 follow up exams) and a prescription for over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications if indicated.