Low Back Pain- It's a pain in the backside!
As chiropractors we treat people suffering from low back pain everyday. According to most accepted statistics, 80% of the US will suffer from low back pain. Unfortunately, we are not always able to help people fully recover from their low back pain, but what is great is that most of the time we can and even if we don't the negative side effects associated with chiropractic care are often mild and rare.
The Scary Reality
Unfortunately, not everyone visits a chiropractor before or after they have low back pain. Too often people find limited medical treatment that includes muscle relaxants and pain relieving medication. The negative side effects associated with this approach have lead to a federal task force to overcome the abuse of prescription pain-relievers and the most recent news- Back pain treatments causing lethal meningitis. The recent outbreak of meningitis, which is reportedly responsible for 5 deaths already and has hundreds of others at risk, is linked to fungus-tainted injections given to people seeking treatment for back pain. (The AP story is HERE)
Death- ALWAYS a side-effect
This recent example is why medication will always have the side effect of death- it is a REAL risk. Medications are man-made and can become contaminated. Medications will also ALWAYS have negative side effects. Don't become complacent with the risk associated with things that have become "common" in our society. Common does not equate to a reduced risk. There is ALWAYS risk. It is sad that so many families have been affected by this recent medication side effect. Hopefully public health officials can help those whom are sick and prevent others from suffering the same tragic outcomes.
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