Efficacy Of Spinal Manipulation In Treating Acute Back Pain And Sciatica With Disc Protrusion.pdf

## Chiropractic Manipulation for Acute Back Pain and Sciatica with Disc Protrusion: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Key Takeaways:

Active spinal manipulations outperformed simulated manipulations in reducing pain and increasing pain-free days for patients with acute back pain and sciatica due to disc protrusion.
Benefits were evident both short-term (up to 180 days) and long-term, indicating sustained effectivity of active manipulation.
No serious adverse events were reported during the study.

Study Details:

This randomized, double-blind trial involved 102 patients aged 19-63 with moderate to severe back pain (VAS ≥5) and sciatica due to disc protrusion confirmed by MRI. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either active spinal manipulations or simulated manipulations for up to 20 sessions over a period of up to 4 weeks.

Results:

Pain Relief: Active manipulation led to significantly greater reductions in pain (lower VAS1 and VAS2 scores) compared to the simulated manipulation group.
Pain-Free Days: More patients in the active manipulation group experienced pain-free days throughout the study period.
Treatment Failure: Only two patients (one in each group) stopped treatment due to lack of effect.
* Other Outcomes: There were no significant differences between groups in quality of life, drug use, or psychosocial measures.

Conclusion:

The study strongly suggests that active chiropractic manipulations are more effective than simulated manipulations in alleviating pain and improving function for patients with acute back pain and sciatica associated with disc protrusion.