Dallas Chiropractor Best Practices
Research Commentary;
Choose Chiropractic for Low Back Pain!
Innovating to Improve Care for Low Back Pain in the Military
A review of
Cherkin DC. Innovating to Improve Care for Low Back Pain in the Military: Chiropractic Care Passes Muster. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(1):e180106. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.0106
Research Reviewed by Dr. Anthony Vasile
Summarized Review of Conclusion
Low back pain is a major issue for a lot of people. It is one of the top disabilities in the world and a major reason people miss work. This study is yet another study that proves how effective chiropractic care is in the management of low back pain. As you will see chiropractic care was combined with usual medical care. Usual medical care consisted of pain killers, which by itself was much less effective and cost more money in the long run. When they added chiropractic care patients got better results in the 6 week period being studied
This study proved that chiropractic care along with usual medical care (UMC) had much greater improvements than usual medical care alone. At the end of the 6-week treatment period, patients in the group receiving UMC plus chiropractic care had greater improvements in pain and function and were more satisfied with their care than those in the UMC group
Quotes from the Article:
“Specifically, at 6 weeks, 62.6% of patients in the group receiving UMC plus chiropractic care had improved by a statistically significant and clinically meaningful amount (30% improvement from baseline) in their back-related function compared with 46.6% of those randomized to UMC alone.”
“Superior outcomes for the group receiving UMC plus chiropractic care were largely maintained after 12 weeks, 6 weeks after chiropractic care had ended. No serious adverse effects were identified.”
“This trial represents an important contribution to our minimal knowledge of the potential of chiropractic care to improve outcomes of care in military populations.”
Introduction to the Research
The primary drive of this research was to compare cost-effectiveness of primary medical care vs chiropractic care services. The study looked at the impact of chiropractic care in addition to usual medical care to decrease pain and improve function for patients with low back pain in military health care settings.
One spot where this study could have been even more effective and given us a clearer picture is if the authors would have had a group that was just chiropractic care without usual medical care. However, even by not having a chiropractic only group, we still see the superiority of managing low back pain with chiropractic care. This study is one of many that show that chiropractic care is safe, effective, and cost effective compare to usual medical care alone.
Research Methodology
The researchers recruited 750 patients who were serving in the military in 3 states and had acute or chronic LBP. The patients were allocated to UMC alone or to UMC plus chiropractic care. Usual medical care often included prescription of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and referral to physical therapy. Chiropractic care most often included spinal manipulation, electric muscle stimulation, heat or cold therapy, and exercise recommendations.
Research Findings
This study proved that chiropractic care is the foundation for eliminating low back pain and improving function. It is the most effective and cost-efficient method to addressing the epidemic of low back pain that millions of people suffer from.
Research References
As always with these reviews, these are my takeaways from the article and I encourage you to read the article in its entirety. The references used in this article by the authors of this article are listed here.
We love digging into the research to find the best ways to treat our patients. Our Doctors at our Dallas location, located near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., know that choosing a Chiropractor is a big decision. That’s why we take the time to not only review the research ourselves, but share what we find with our patients to give the the best care and the best education o their pain and their health. When you are dealing with Low Back Pain, Neck Pain or Headaches, choose a Chiropractor you can trust. Choose a Chiropractor who knows how to get you out of pain and can help you become healthier so that you stay out of pain!