Amelia Chiropractic Clinic Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research grounds the role of healthcare’s pain relieving ability. For chiropractic healthcare, much research entails documenting chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal pain issues like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic delivers just such research-documented, effective care to our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
A group of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to develop long-term plans to decrease the burden of low back pain on sufferers and healthcare systems. They clarified that developing effective strategies remains a huge task for back pain clinicians, doctors, and researchers. Frustratingly, back pain disability levels have not increased despite an increased quantity of published research reports about back pain care. No consensus on the optimal way to manage low back pain has been achieved. Non-drug and non-invasive methods like exercise, manual therapy, massage, and such are general recommendations. Other reviewing researchers pointed to a few issues with back pain research: design and analysis within the treatment clinical trials. (1) Designing research studies is tough. 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 discussion!) Observational studies are the next in line. How so? Researchers observe how patients respond when they undergo treatment and report on changes and effects. Fortuitously, Cox® Technic research has a mix of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, plus retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Amelia Chiropractic Clinic feels this mix of research support helps outline the expectations our Fernandina Beach chiropractic patients may anticipate.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
On occasion, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike are disappointed with the outcomes of treatment for back pain. They should not be! In medicine, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is defined as 30% or 20% and even 10% improvement. That’s reported to be an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has offered 50% improvement in 30 days as the goal…and still does. Often, 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 desire more while others, especially patients who have already gone through 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 change on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 worst imaginable pain). That is not a big move but is realistic. (2) It is a statistic to consider. Compared with medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our Fernandina Beach chiropractic clinical outcome objectives 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 effort in maintaining a flow of research as many programs are not in large university situations with well-established and well-financed research departments. Global chiropractic researchers are seeking a solution. 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 assemble research talent and resources to advance chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Solid 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 Amelia Chiropractic Clinic
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 he’s managed.
Make your next Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment soon. Bring your questions about the research behind our chiropractic care with you! Amelia Chiropractic Clinic is always ready to share research!
