Hands-on therapy shows higher percentage of pain reductions
in those with back pain


A new report released last month, shows that chronic lower back pain is successfully treated using hands-on therapies, thus reducing the necessity for prescription pain medication.

The study was conducted at The Osteopathic Research Center at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas, and published in the Annals of Family Medicine.

455 adults participated in the project which compared two groups, both suffering with back pain. One group received ultrasound therapy while the other group was treated with osteopathic manipulative techniques. The patients who received ultrasound showed no improvements compared with the hands-on therapy group which showed a 30 – 50 percent reduction in pain and far greater satisfaction after 12 weeks.

Back pain affects over 100 million Americans and costs the economy well over a half trillion dollars each year.

Osteopaths, physical therapists and chiropractors all perform similar types of hands-on treatments and many techniques are shared among them at conferences and training seminars around the world.

Speaking of the study’s results, John Licciardone, the executive director of the research center concluded, "Now that we have evidence of moderate to substantial pain relief and a reduction in the use of prescription medications over 12 weeks, we need to look at a longer follow-up period to see if we can maintain or improve these results."