Manahawkin Chiropractic Center 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 revolves around documenting chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center delivers just such effective, research-documented care to our Manahawkin chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
A set of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to develop long-term plans to lower the burden 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 improved despite a larger number of published research reports regarding back pain care. No consensus on the optimal way to handle low back pain has been achieved. Non-drug and non-invasive approaches like exercise, manual therapy, massage, and such are general recommendations. Another set 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 feels 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 undergo treatment and note changes and effects. Fortuitously, Cox® Technic research has a blend of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, plus retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center feels this mix of research support helps outline the expectations our Manahawkin chiropractic patients may expect.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Occasionally, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike find themselves 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 is reported to be 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 30 days 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 undergone 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 change on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 worst imaginable pain). That’s not a big move but is reasonable. (2) It’s a statistic to share. Compared with medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our Manahawkin chiropractic clinical outcome targets are high and often achieved.
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 settings 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 assemble research talent and assets to elevate chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Solid research continues at chiropractic universities to document the benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT Manahawkin 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 of which he’s been a part.
Make your next Manahawkin chiropractic appointment soon. Bring your questions about the research supporting our chiropractic care with you! Manahawkin Chiropractic Center loves to share research!
