According to a press release, John Licciardone, D.O. and executive director of the Oseopathic Research Center at the UNT Health Science Center in Forth Worth released the results of a study published today in the Annals of Family Medicine. "Our research offers hope in the form of hands-on treatment that provides moderate to substantial improvement in (low back) pain, and that reduces the use of prescription medication."
From the press release, it was learned that approximately 100 million adults are affected by chronic pain, and that the economics of Medical care and lost productivity total more than $550 billion annually. Low back pain is the leading cause of disability.
Osteopathic medicine was started by Andrew Taylor Still, a US physician in 1874. Today, a practitioner of osteopathic medicine studies in conventional medical schools and receives a license of D.O., which is equal to that of an M.D.
Osteopathic medicine reduces the need for prescription pain medicine. After a series of hands-on treatment by a D.O., the patient's pain is generally reduced by 30-50 percent. Those in the study reported using pain medication less frequently. It was also found that those with the highest levels of pain were helped the most.
An osteopathic doctor manipulates the muscles and joints outside the spine using gentle, large movements. This method uses natural medicine to treat pain without prescription pain pills that become addictive.
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