New Study Finds Chiropractic Helps Reduce Need for Low Back Reoperation

A study published earlier this year suggests that patients who require back surgery are less likely to need further surgery if they have chiropractic treatment. Researchers at University Hospital – Cleveland Medical Center found that patients who received chiropractic spinal manipulation experienced a substantial 45% reduction in the likelihood of undergoing additional lumbar surgery compared to those who received usual medical care. Specifically, the proportion of patients undergoing lumbar spine reoperation was 7% in the chiropractic spinal manipulation group, significantly lower than the 13% in the usual medical care group. It is important to note, however, that the patients included in the study had a very specific type of surgery: discectomy.  That is, the removal of part of the disc.  Patients who had more involved surgery that required instrumentation, like lumbar fusion, were not included.  As always, more work is needed to establish these conclusions.  But these impressive findings suggest that even patients who have had back surgery may benefit from chiropractic treatment.

Trager, R.J., Gliedt, J.A., Labak, C.M. et al. Association between spinal manipulative therapy and lumbar spine reoperation after discectomy: a retrospective cohort study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 25, 46 (2024).