Care Efficacy
care efficacy
Members of the Medical Community Recognize Chiropractic’s Effectiveness
Shekelle, P.G., Adams, A., et al. The Appropriateness of Spinal Manipulation for Lower-Back Pain. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California, 1992.
This study, conducted by the prestigious RAND Corporation, marks the first time that representatives of the medical community have gone on record stating that chiropractic is an appropriate treatment for certain low-back pain conditions. A second, all-chiropractic panel’s ratings show agreement with the multi-disciplinary panel that spinal manipulation is appropriate for specific kinds of low-back pain.
A utilization study examining chiropractic patients’ charts in multiple geographical locations in the United States is now underway. This will allow investigators to examine actual clinical cases and learn how prevalent each condition is in practice.
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Chiropractic Offers Long-Term Benefits
Meade, T.W., Dyer, S., et al. "Low Back Pain of Mechanical Origin: Randomized Comparison of Chiropractic and Hospital Outpatient Treatment," British Medical Journal, 2 June 1990, Volume 300, Number 67137, Pages 1431-1437.
Research in Great Britain conducted by T.W. Meade, a medical doctor, compared chiropractic manipulation and hospital outpatient treatment for low-back pain, consistent of corset wearing and standard physical therapy.
The study concluded:
For patients with low-back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated, chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long-term benefit in comparison to hospital outpatient management.
In a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio interview, Dr. Meade stated,
Our trial showed that chiropractic is a very effective treatment, more effective than conventional hospital outpatient treatment for low-back pain, particularly in patients who had back pain in the past and who got severe problems. So in other words, it is most effective in precisely the group of patients that you would like to be able to treat... One of the unexpected findings was that the treatment differences - the benefit of chiropractic over hospital treatment -actually persists for the whole of that three-year period...it looks as though the treatment that the chiropractors give does something that results in a very long-term benefit.
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Improvement with Chiropractic Longer Lasting with Fewer Visits Than Physical Therapy.
Koes, B.W., Bouter, L.M., et al. "Randomized Clinical Trial of Manipulative Therapy and Physiotherapy for Persistent Back and Neck Complaints: Results of One Year Follow Up," British Medical Journal, 7 March 1992, Volume 304, Pages 601-605.
This Dutch project compared the effectiveness of manipulation and physical therapy for the treatment of persistent back and neck complaints. The chiropractic treatment group showed greater improvement in the primary complaint as well as physical functions with fewer visits. It also demonstrated that manipulation and physical therapy are not interchangeable.
The study concluded,
Manipulative therapy and physiotherapy are better than general practitioner and placebo treatment. Furthermore, manipulative therapy is slightly better than physiotherapy after I2 months.
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50-Year History of Chiropractic Effectiveness
MacDonald, M.J., Morton, L. Chiropractic Evaluation Study Task III Report of the Relevant Literature. MRI Project No. 8533-D, For Department of Defense, OCHAMPUS, Aurora, Colorado, 24 January 1986.
Clinical trials published in the professional literature between 1930 and 1981 were examined in this report of the 18 randomized clinical trials that met the strict specifications of the Midwest Research Institute. On the basis of the studies, the report concluded,
... manual therapy was superior to placebos
... there was greater mobility following manipulation
... the duration of treatment was shorter for the manipulated groups, and
... there was improved lateral flexion and rotation after manipulation.
The report also concluded,
… numerous case studies throughout the literature report the satisfaction of chiropractic patients with the outcome of treatments.
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Chiropractic Is Effective For Uncomplicated, Acute Low-Back Pain
Shekelle, I’., Adams, A., et al. "Spinal Manipulation for Low-Back Pain,"Annals of Internal Medicine, 01 October 1992, Volume 117, Number 7, Pages 590-598.
The use, complications, and efficacy of spinal manipulation for low-back pain was reviewed in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the third most widely read medical journal. The article concluded that spinal manipulation helped patients with uncomplicated, acute low-back pain and that more research is needed to evaluate its efficacy for chronic low-back pain.
