Used together, conventional and alternative treatments can help patients alleviate low-back pain better than using mainstream treatment alone, US research has shown.
The Study
A study at Brigham and Women's Hospital looked at 19 patients who had low-back pain six received conventional care and 13 received integrated care, which included acupuncture, chiropractic, internal medicine, massage therapy, neurology, nursing, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, orthopedics, psychiatry/mind-body, physical therapy and rheumatologic.
Over the 12-week study period, the patients in the integrative care group had a significantly greater reduction in pain scores and a greater improvement in function than the conventional care group.
The promising results suggest that this combination approach to treating low-back pain warrants further evaluation, the study authors say.
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