OrthoIllinois Chiropractic Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research established the role of healthcare’s relief of pain. In chiropractic healthcare, much research entails documenting chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic offers just such research-documented, effective care to our McHenry chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
A set of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to develop long-term plans to lower the problem of low back pain on patients 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 improved despite an increased quantity of published research papers regarding back pain care. No consensus on the optimal way to manage low back pain has been agreed upon. Non-drug and non-invasive approaches 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 tough. Designing a “sham” protocol for spinal manipulation that seems like spinal manipulation is really challenging. (Just touching a spine can be relieving some, but that’s a topic for a different article!) Observational studies are the next best thing. How so? Researchers observe what happens to patients when they experience treatment and note changes and effects. Fortunately, Cox® Technic research has a mix of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, as well as retrospective and prospective clinical studies. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic feels this mix of research support helps outline the expectations our McHenry chiropractic patients may expect.
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 reported 30% or 20% and even 10% improvement. That’s reported as an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has proposed 50% improvement in 30 days as the goal…and still does. Often, chiropractic patients find that 50% relief in fewer than a month 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 desire more while others, especially patients who have previously 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 move 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 share. Weighed against medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our McHenry 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 difficulty in keeping research flowing as many programs are not incorporated into 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 looking to the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative CIH Research to combine research talent and assets to elevate chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Strong research carries on at chiropractic universities to record the benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
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.
Make your next McHenry chiropractic appointment now. Bring your questions about the research supporting our chiropractic care with you! OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is always ready to share research!
