Science And Research

Since the first chiropractic adjustment in 1895, the chiropractic profession has rapidly grown to be the third-largest field of health care behind medicine and dentistry. The reason for the growth of chiropractic is simple: chiropractic is based on sound, scientific principles that have been proven with thorough research.

Investigations and inquiries have been conducted worldwide by government agencies, universities, health-care facilities, and private- and public-sector research organizations. The following paragraphs summarize some of the landmark research studies that have resulted in widespread recognition of chiropractic as a sound health-care choice.

Chiropractic and Stroke. Spine Journal Feb 2008.
This recent study investigated the associations between Chiropractic visits and the risk of stroke. The medical based study "found no evidence of risk of (stroke) associated with Chiropractic care compared to (family physician) care." Chiropractic care continues to be proven to be both safe and effective.

Government of New Zealand.
The New Zealand Commission Report was published in 1979 and was the culmination of two years of interviews from health-care experts on the efficacy and safety of chiropractic. The government of New Zealand funded the study, which concluded that modern chiropractic is a "soundly-based and valuable branch of health care in a specialized area."

Wilk, et al, vs. American Medical Association (AMA) Lawsuit.
Another inquiry that further validated chiropractic came about in 1987 through an antitrust suit filed by four doctors of chiropractic against the AMA. A federal appellate court judge ruled that the AMA had engaged in a "lengthy, systematic, successful, and unlawful boycott" of chiropractic.

During the legal proceedings, studies comparing chiropractic care to medical care were presented that showed how chiropractors were "twice as effective as medical physicians, for comparable injuries, in returning injured workers to work at every level of injury severity."

Since the court findings and conclusions were released, a growing number of medical practices, hospitals, and health-care organizations in the United States now include the services of chiropractors.

The Boline Study
-- This randomized controlled trial compared six weeks of spinal manipulative treatment of tension-type headache by chiropractors to six weeks of medical treatment with amitriptyline, a medication often prescribed for the treatment of severe tension headache pain. Researchers found that chiropractic patients experienced fewer side-effects (4.3%) than the amitriptyline group (82.1%) and while both were effective during the treatment phase of the study, only the chiropractic patients continued to report fewer headaches when treatment ended.

The Duke Study.
-- Based on a literature review of several headache treatment options, a panel of 19 multidisciplinary experts concluded that spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for cervicogenic headaches and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than a commonly-prescribed medication. Researchers concluded the following: "Manipulation appeared to result in immediate improvement in headache severity when used to treat episodes of cervicogenic headache when compared with an attention-placebo control. Furthermore, when compared to soft-tissue therapies (massage), a course of manipulation treatments resulted in sustained improvement in headache frequency and severity."

The Nelson Migraine Study.
-- This study compared chiropractic spinal manipulation to amitriptyline, (a medication often prescribed for the treatment of headache) for the treatment of migraine headache. The researchers found that spinal manipulation seemed to be as effective as a well-established and efficacious treatment (amitriptyline). and on the basis of a benign side effects profile, it should be considered a treatment option for patients with frequent migraine headaches. The researchers also found that in the weeks immediately following treatment, patients who had received spinal manipulation had a 42% reduction in headache frequency, compared to only 24% of those who took amitriptyline.

The Colic Study.
-- When researchers compared spinal manipulation for the treatment of infantile colic to dimethicone (a medication for colic), they came to a simple conclusion: "Spinal manipulation is effective in relieving infantile colic."

Ontario Ministry of Health.
In 1993, the Ontario Ministry of Health published the Manga Report, which was a review of literature on the most effective and cost-effective treatments for of low-back pain. After reviewing all available international evidence, the researchers concluded that chiropractic is "greatly superior to medical treatment in terms of scientific validity, safety, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction. There would be highly significant cost savings if more management of low-back pain was transferred from physicians to chiropractors. Users of chiropractic care have significantly lower health care costs, especially inpatient costs, than those who use medical care only."

The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).
In 1994, the AHCPR of the United States Department of Health and Human Services released guidelines for the management of lower-back pain.

The guidelines, which were intended to assist primary-care physicians, were developed by a panel of 23 professionals, including medical doctors, chiropractic doctors, nurses, experts in spinal research, and physical therapists. The panel concluded, among other things, that chiropractic treatment (specifically, spinal manipulation) is recommended for acute low-back problems in adults and should be pursued (in most cases) before pharmaceutical or surgical treatments.

Ongoing Research
Health-care practitioners in all fields rely heavily upon data made available as a result of clinical research. As the chiropractic profession continues to grow, so does our need to conduct research. The acceptance of and the increase in the utilization of chiropractic care depends largely upon research addressing questions of effectiveness, safety, practicality, and cost-effectiveness.

Who does the research?
The following is just a sampling of organizations, publications, and private and public institutions where chiropractic research may be conducted.

There are entire organizations devoted to chiropractic research (e.g., the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, the Consortial Center of Chiropractic Research), as well as journals (e.g., the Chiropractic Research Journal, the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research).

In addition, there are research departments associated with each of the 23 chiropractic colleges around the world (e.g., the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, the National University of Health Sciences). Professionals from different organizations commonly collaborate on research projects.

Research has also been conducted around the world by governmental organizations (e.g., the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Ontario Ministry of Health), academic institutions (e.g., University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Welsh National School of Medicine), medical journals (e.g., the British Medical Journal, the Journal of Family Practice), and private research organizations (e.g., RAND, the Gallup Organization).

In conclusion
The purpose of chiropractic research has been (and still is) to provide information needed to document and improve chiropractic health care worldwide. Our profession has seen advances once thought impossible due to the impact of scientific research.

For example, federal grants for chiropractic research are now a reality. The Department of Defense formed a committee to introduce chiropractic services into the United States military. Several managed-care organizations now recognize us as qualified primary-care providers. And there is an ever-growing public awareness of the benefits of chiropractic care.

Feel free to do your own research— at work, at school, at your health club or rec center. Ask around. You will hear countless success stories on how chiropractic has helped people recover from an accident, an injury, a tense period in their life, etc., or how chiropractic has helped them develop new, healthier lifestyle habits.

Collect more data by making an appointment with us today. You will be pleased with the results.

Is Chiropractic Right for You?

The choice of health care provider is a highly personal one. Concerns for most people include the education of the practitioner, the ability of the practitioner to make an accurate diagnosis, and whether other patients would recommend that doctor. Chiropractors can easily hold their own and in some instances surpass their colleagues from other health care professions.

A Study of Education -- This study examined the education provided in medical school to that provided in chiropractic school. The researchers found that "considerable commonality exists between chiropractic and medical programs." Surprisingly it was found that more time is spent in basic and clinical sciences in chiropractic education. Not surprisingly, chiropractic education spends more time in nutrition, while medical education spends more time in public health. In addition, little time in medical school is devoted to the study of the neuromusculoskeletal system and related ehalth problems: this is a major focus in chiropractic education."

The Abt Study -- Abt Associates of Cambridge, MA convened two expert panels (one panel primarily of medical doctors and the other entirely chiropractic) and asked the panels to investigate the role of the Doctor of Chiropractic as a primary health care provider. Both panels agreed that with respect to a list of 53 primary care functions found to occur in daily medical offices, chiropractors are capable of making diagnoses in 92% of these activities. The researchers concluded that "the overriding sense of agreement between allopathic and chiropractic physicians in terms of the scope of primary care activities, suggesting that there is opportunity for chiropractors and medical doctors to work together on patient care and organizational strategy."

The IPA Study -- A survey of patients of Chiropractic in an independent physicians' association found that, when asked if they would recommend their Doctor of Chiropractic to others, 95.5% of the patients said "yes."

Other results were as high:

• Length of time to get an appointment --84.9% said Excellent
• Access to office by telephone -- 95.5% Excellent or Very Good
• Length of wait at the office -- 92.4% Excellent or Very Good
• Time spent with doctor -- 95.5% Excellent or Very Good
• Explanation of what was done at the visit -- 95.5% Excellent or Very Good
• Technical skills of the provider -- 98.5% Excellent or Very Good
• Personal manner of the chiropractor -- 100% Excellent or Very Good
• Overall Visit -- 100% Excellent or Very Good

While research is helping the scientific community to consider the effectiveness of the chiropractic method of treatment for various conditions, thousands of individuals all over the world are finding restored mobility and relief from pain at the hands of their Doctor of Chiropractic. As health care choices become increasingly diverse, and as consumers take more responsibility for designing a personal plan for optimal health, it is clear that chiropractic will be a choice for many. How about you?

References:

Shekelle PG, Adams A., et al. The Appropriateness of Spinal Manipulation for Low-Back Pain: Indications and Ratings by a Multidisciplinary Expert Panel. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California; 1991

Koes BW, Boulder LM, et al. British Medical Journal. March 7 1992; Vol 304, No 6827, pp 601-605

Bigos S, Bowyer O. et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults; Clinical Practice Guideline, Number 14, Rockville, Maryland, US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, ACHPR Pub No. 95-0642; December 1994

Manga P. Angus D. et al. The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic Management of Low-Back Pain. The Ontario Ministry of Health, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; August 1993

McCrory DC, et al. Evidence Report: Behavioral and Physical Treatments for Tension-type and Cervicogenic Headache. Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center, Durham, North Carolina, January 2001

Boline PD, Kassak K, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. March/April 1995 Vol. 18, No 3. pp. 148-154

Nelson CF, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. October 1998; Vol 21, No. 8, pp. 511-519

Wiberg JMM, et al. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. October 1999, Vol 22, No. 8, pp. 517-522

Coulter I, et al Alternative Therapies September 1998; Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 64-75

Gaumer GL., Walker A. Su S. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. May 2001; Vol. 24, No. 4 99. 239-259.

Information on this page is copyright 2002 by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research. www.fcer.org All Rights Reserved. Reprinted here with permission.