Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research established
the role of healthcare’s pain relieving ability. For
chiropractic healthcare, much research revolves around providing
evidence of chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, arm
pain and sciatic leg pain. Chiropractic Care offers just such research-documented, effective care to our
West Palm Beach chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
One set of back pain researchers
challenged fellow researchers to develop long-term
plans to decrease the problem of low back pain
on sufferers and healthcare systems. They clarified
that developing effective strategies remains a
daunting task for back pain clinicians, doctors, and
researchers. Frustratingly, back pain disability levels have not
increased despite an increased quantity of
published research papers regarding back pain care.
No consensus on the best way to handle low back pain
has been achieved. Non-drug and non-invasive methods
like exercise, manual therapy, massage, and such are general
recommendations. Another group of reviewing researchers pointed
to a few problems with back pain research: design
and analysis within the treatment clinical trials. (1) Designing research
studies is difficult. Designing a “sham”
protocol for spinal manipulation that feels like spinal
manipulation is really challenging. (Just touching a spine can
be relieving some, but that’s a topic for a
different discussion!) Observational studies are the next in line. How so? Researchers observe what happens to patients when they undergo treatment and make note of changes and effects. Fortunately, Cox®
Technic research has a blend of biomechanical and clinical
observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, plus
retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Chiropractic Care feels this mix of
research support helps outline the expectations our West Palm Beach chiropractic
patients may anticipate.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Occasionally, chiropractic
physicians and low back pain patients alike find themselves frustrated
with the outcomes of treatment for back pain. They shouldn’t
be! In medicine, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is defined
as 30% or 20% and even 10% improvement. That is reported to
be an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has offered 50%
improvement in 30 days as the goal…and still does. Many
times, chiropractic patients realize that 50% relief in less
than a month and that the 50% relief is closer to
70% or 80% or 90%! Sometimes, a patient’s response may be slower in getting
relief or only reaches 30% or 40%. Some patients want more while
others, particularly patients who have already
undergone back surgery or sought non-relieving care
from many other providers, are excited. A study
of 1232 low back pain subjects discovered a MCID pain intensity of
2 (meaning a 2 point move on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 worst
imaginable pain). That is not a huge move but is realistic.
(2) It is a statistic to share. Compared
with medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low
as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our West Palm Beach chiropractic
clinical outcome goals are high and often achieved.
THE CHALLENGE OF CHIROPRACTIC RESEARCH – AND HOW CHIROPRACTIC
ANSWERS
Chiropractic, like other complementary and integrative
healthcare professions, experiences a little more effort
in maintaining a flow of research as many
programs are not in large university settings
with well-established and well-funded research departments. Global
chiropractic researchers are seeking am amswer. Australia, Canada, and Denmark chiropractic
researchers have formed a leadership academy (CARL – Chiropractic
Academy for Research Leadership) for early-career chiropractic researchers to stimulate
more chiropractic research. US-based researchers are turning to
the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative CIH Research to combine
research talent and resources to advance
chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Strong research continues at chiropractic universities to document the
benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck
pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT Chiropractic Care
Listen to this PODCAST
with Ram Gudavalli, PhD, principal investigator of many Cox® Technic research
studies, on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates research studies he’s managed.
Schedule your next West Palm Beach
chiropractic appointment today. Bring your questions about the research
behind our chiropractic care with you! Chiropractic Care loves to share research!