Chiropractic Solutions Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research established the role of healthcare’s pain relieving ability. In chiropractic healthcare, much research entails documenting chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like neck pain, back pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Chiropractic Solutions delivers just such effective, research-documented care to our San Jose 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 patients and healthcare systems. They explained that developing effective strategies remains a daunting task for back pain clinicians, doctors, and researchers. Vexingly, back pain disability levels have not improved despite a larger number of published research papers regarding back pain care. No consensus on the optimal 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 indicated a few issues 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 seems like spinal manipulation is especially challenging. (Just touching a spine can help some, but that’s a topic for another article!) Observational studies are the next in line. How so? Researchers observe how patients respond when they experience treatment and report on changes and effects. Fortunately, Cox® Technic research has a mix of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, plus retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Chiropractic Solutions feels this mix of research support helps outline the expectations our San Jose chiropractic patients may expect.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
On occasion, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike find themselves frustrated with the outcomes of treatment for back pain. They should not be! In medicine, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is reported 30% or 20% and even 10% improvement. That is reported as an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has offered 50% improvement in 30 days as the goal…and still does. Many times, chiropractic patients find that 50% relief in fewer than 30 days and that the 50% relief is more like 70% or 80% or 90%! Sometimes, a patient’s response may be slower in reaching relief or only reaches 30% or 40%. Some patients want more while others, especially patients who have already had back surgery or sought non-relieving care from many other providers, are thrilled. A study of 1232 low back pain subjects found a MCID pain intensity of 2 (meaning a 2 point move on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 worst imaginable pain). That’s not a big move but is reasonable. (2) It is a statistic to consider. Weighed against medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our San Jose chiropractic clinical outcome goals are high and frequently achievable.
THE CHALLENGE OF CHIROPRACTIC RESEARCH – AND HOW CHIROPRACTIC ANSWERS
Chiropractic, like other complementary and integrative healthcare professions, experiences a little more difficulty 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 looking for 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 looking to the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative CIH Research to assemble research talent and assets to advance chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Strong research continues at chiropractic universities to record the benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
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 explains research studies of which he’s been a part.
Schedule your next San Jose chiropractic appointment today. Bring your questions about the research behind our chiropractic care with you! Chiropractic Solutions loves to share research!
