Aurora Chiropractic Center Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research grounds the role of healthcare’s relief of pain. In chiropractic healthcare, much research entails providing evidence of chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Aurora Chiropractic Center offers just such research-documented, effective care to our Juneau chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
A group of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to come up with long-term plans to lower the problem of low back pain on sufferers and healthcare systems. They explained that developing effective strategies remains a daunting task for back pain clinicians, doctors, and researchers. Frustratingly, back pain disability levels have not increased despite a larger number of published research reports about back pain care. No consensus on the best 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. Another group of reviewing researchers pointed to 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 be relieving 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 experience treatment and make note of changes and effects. Fortuitously, Cox® Technic research has a blend of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, as well as retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Aurora Chiropractic Center feels this mix of research support helps explain to our Juneau chiropractic patients what clinical outcome relief they may anticipate.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Sometimes, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike are frustrated with the outcomes of treatment for back pain. They shouldn’t be! In medicine, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is defined as 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 realize that 50% relief in fewer 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 attaining relief or only reaches 30% or 40%. Some patients desire more while others, particularly patients who have already had back surgery or sought non-relieving care from many other providers, are quite satisfied. A study of 1232 low back pain subjects discovered 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. Compared with medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our Juneau 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, has a little more effort in keeping research flowing as many programs are not in large university situations with well-established and well-funded research departments. Global chiropractic researchers are looking for am amswer. Australia, Canada, and Denmark chiropractic researchers have created 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 combine research talent and assets to elevate chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Strong research carries on at chiropractic universities to document the benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT Aurora Chiropractic Center
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 Juneau chiropractic appointment today. Bring your questions about the research supporting our chiropractic care with you! Aurora Chiropractic Center is always ready to share research!
