Non-surgical reduction of lumbar hyperlordosis, forward sagittal balance and sacral tilt to relieve low back pain by Chiropractic BioPhysics® methods: a case report.
Paul A Oakley, Niousha Navid Ehsani, Deed E Harrison
PMID 31645820WHAT IT FOUND
One woman with chronic low back pain had less pain and improved posture on X-ray after 73 chiropractic BioPhysics treatments combining traction, mirror-image exercises, and spinal manipulation.
This is one case, not evidence the methods work.
Key findings
01After 35 treatments over 4 months, the patient reported low back and hip pain were virtually gone, pain was 0-1/10 on average and up to 2/10 worst, and her ODI score was 12%.
02After 73 treatments over 13 months, pain was 0/10 on average and 1-2/10 at worst, ODI was 4%, and radiographs showed lumbar lordosis -47.1°, forward sagittal balance 7.6 mm, and sacral tilt 48.1°.
03The patient received traction, mirror-image exercises, and lumbar spinal manipulation together, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so it cannot show that the treatment caused the improvement or that other patients will respond. The patient received traction, mirror-image exercises, and lumbar spinal manipulation together, so the contribution of any one part cannot be separated. The patient had chronic low back and hip pain for 5-6 years after her first pregnancy, so the result may not apply to other causes or durations of low back pain. The paper reports follow-up only to 13 months overall and does not say what happened after that.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Chiropractic BioPhysics methods will reduce lumbar hyperlordosis or relieve low back pain in other patients. This is one case report with no comparison group, and traction, mirror-image exercises, and lumbar spinal manipulation were given together, so no single component can be shown to be the cause.