Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nonsurgical Treatment Available For Back Pain

New studies of nonsurgical treatments for low back pain hold promise for improved treatments for osteoarthrisis (OA), according to the Arthritis Foundation.

OA is the most common type of arthritis and often affects the lower back.

One of the studies followed participants in a physical therapy program. Participants were evaluated based on four variables that focused on pain and mobility, including the distance they were able to walk and the amount of time they were able to stand.

Results from the 12-week study indicated that 58 percent of the participants in the physical therapy program showed improvement in at least one varible and 33 percent showed improvement in at least two variables.

The second study focused on simple methods for relieving leg pain in patients with lumbar stenosis, a condition that can result from OA of the spine.

Of the 47 study participants, all achieved symptomatic benefits simply by sitting and leaning forward for two to ten minutes. According to John A. Hardin, M.D., an Arthritis Foundation medical advisor, the results from these studies justify further, longer-term study and comparision with surgical outcomes.

In another related nonsurgical treatment study, the emphasis focused on determining who is most likely to benefit from an epidural steroid injection to relieve pain caused by sciatica.

The following variables were assessed: pain on a visual scale; percentage of improvement; a physician-based clinical score assessing back tenderness, loss of movement, signs of tension in the toughest membrane covering the brain and spinal cord and neurological deficit; and the need for surgery.

Results showed a significant improvement for the whole group between the visual scale and the physician-based clinical score.

The single featured best defining whether a patient responded well was the length of time sciatica had been present; 47 percent of the patients with less than 12 months, but only 29 percent of those with sciatica for more than 12 months improved by more than 50 percent.

"This study emphasizes the importance of seeing your doctor early in the course of the disease," Chris Adams, M.D., chairman of Medical and Scientific Committee, Arthritis Foundation, Arkansas Chapter, said.

"Arthritis Foundation encourages people to see a doctor as soon as possible if any pain persists more than two weeks," Adams said.

For more information about arthritis, including a free brochure, contact the Arthritis Foundation at 1-800-482-8858.