Chiropractic Office of O.C. Spine & Rehab

 

Chiropractic Research Studies

Modern chiropractic was discovered in Davenport, Iowa, over 100 years ago by D.D. Palmer. He discovered that patients with digestive troubles, sciatica, menstrual troubles, headaches, back pain and many other conditions responded to his “hand treatments” as he first called them. However, since the birth of modern chiropractic, the general public has been largely misinformed, misled, and kept in the dark about the benefits of chiropractic care. Because the chiropractic profession is not backed or promoted by the pharmaceutical companies, for many years there were insufficient funds available to conduct research to show evidence of chiropractic effectiveness. Within the last 30 years, many independent and government backed studies from various countries have shown conclusive evidence that chiropractic treatment is safe, effective, cost effective, and for certain conditions, the BEST treatment. With statistics showing that medication is the 4th leading cause of death in the United States and a recent study published in a national newspaper finding that chronic back pain leads to brain shrinkage, it’s no mystery why more and more people are seeking chiropractic treatment to improve their health. Below are summaries of the most recent and important research studies that have been conducted around the world.

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Magna Report

In 1993, the Ontario Ministry of Health funded a study to find ways to reduce the incidence of work-related injuries and to address cost-effective ways to rehabilitate disabled and injured workers. Three health economists led by University of Ottawa Professor Pran Magna, Ph. D., conducted the study. The Magna Report overwhelmingly supported the efficacy, safety, scientific validity, and cost-effectiveness of chiropractic for low-back pain. More importantly, comparing chiropractic to other types of treatment the study stated that ...for the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the most effective treatment, and it should be fully integrated into the government's health care system." - (The Magna Report [1993]). Additionally, the study found that higher patient satisfaction levels were associated with chiropractic care compared with medical treatment alternatives. The Magna Report states “Evidence from Canada and other countries suggests potential savings of hundreds of millions annually. The literature clearly and consistently shows that the major savings from chiropractic management come from fewer and lower costs of auxiliary services, fewer hospitalizations, and a highly significant reduction in chronic problems, as well as in levels and duration of disability.”

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U.S. Government Agency Report

A 1994 study published by the U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services endorses spinal manipulation for acute low back pain in adults in its Clinical Practice Guideline #14. An independent multidisciplinary panel of private-sector clinicians and other experts convened and developed specific statements on appropriate health care of acute low back problems in adults. One statement noted that relief of discomfort (low back pain) can be accomplished most safely with spinal manipulation, and/or nonprescription medication.

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RAND STUDY on Low-Back Pain

A four-phase study conducted in the early 1900s by RAND, one of America’s most prestigious centers for research in public policy, science and technology, explored many indications of low-back pain. In the RAND studies, an expert panel of researchers, including medical doctors and doctors of chiropractic, found that chiropractors deliver a substantial amount of health care to the U.S. population and that spinal manipulations are of benefit to some patients with acute low-back pain.  The RAND study marked the first time that representatives of the medical community went on record stating that spinal manipulation is an appropriate treatment for certain low-back pain conditions.

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NEW ZEALAND Commission Report

A particularly significant study of chiropractic was conducted from 1978 to 1980 by the New Zealand Commission of Inquiry. In its 377-page report to the House of Representatives, the Commission called its study "probably the most comprehensive and detailed independent examination of chiropractic ever undertaken in any country." The Commission entered the inquiry with "the general impression ... shared by many in the community: that chiropractic was an unscientific cult, not to be compared with orthodox medical or paramedical services." By the end of the inquiry, the commission reported itself "irresistibly and with complete unanimity drawn to the conclusion that modern chiropractic is a soundly-based and valuable branch of health care in a specialized area..." Conclusions of the Commission's report, based on investigations in New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, stated:

• Spinal manual therapy in the hands of a registered chiropractor is safe.

• Spinal manual therapy can be effective in relieving musculo-skeletal symptoms such as back pain, and other symptoms known to respond to such therapy, such as migraine.

• Chiropractors are the only health practitioners who are necessarily equipped by their education and training to carry out spinal manual therapy.

•In the public interest and in the interests of patients, there must be no impediment to full professional cooperation between chiropractors and medical practitioners.


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Florida Workers' Compensation Study

A 1988 study of 10,652 Florida workers' compensation cases was conducted by Steve Wolk, Ph.D., and reported by the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research. It was concluded that "a claimant with a back-related injury, when initially treated by a chiropractor versus a medical doctor, is less likely to become temporarily disabled, or if disabled, remains disabled for a shorter period of time; and claimants treated by medical doctors were hospitalized at a much higher rate than claimants treated by chiropractors."


Washington HMO Study

In 1989, a survey administered by Daniel C. Cherkin, Ph.D., concluded that patients receiving care from health maintenance organizations (HMO's) within the state of Washington were three times as likely to report satisfaction with care from chiropractors as they were with care from other physicians. The patients were also more likely to believe that their chiropractor was concerned about them.


Utah Workers' Compensation Study

A workers' compensation study conducted in Utah by Kelly B. Jarvis, D.C., Reed B. Phillips, D.C., Ph.D., and Elliot K. Morris, J.D., M.B.A., compared the cost of chiropractic care to the costs of medical care for conditions with identical diagnostic codes. Results were reported in the August 1991 Journal of Occupational Medicine. The study indicated that costs were significantly higher for medical claims than for chiropractic claims; in addition, the number of workdays lost was nearly ten times higher for those who received medical care instead of chiropractic care.


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Koes' Clinical Trial

The positive results of chiropractic are lasting: manipulative therapy (chiropractic) and physiotherapy were compared as treatments for persistent back and neck complaints. After 12 months, the manipulative therapy group showed greater improvement in the primary complaint with fewer visits.


Patient Disability Comparison

A 1992 article in the Journal of Family Practice reported a study by D.C. Cherkin, Ph.D., that compared time of disability of patients of family physicians as significantly higher (mean 39.7) than for patients managed by chiropractors (mean 10.8). A related editorial in the same issue referred to risks of complications from lumbar manipulation as being "very low."


Oregon Workers' Compensation Study

A 1991 report on a workers' compensation study conducted in Oregon by Joanne Nyiendo, Ph.D., concluded that the median time loss days (per case) for comparable injuries was 9.0 for patients receiving treatment by a doctor of chiropractic and 11.5 for treatment by a medical doctor.


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Stano Cost Comparison Study

A study by Miron Stano, Ph.D., in the June 1993 Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics involved 395,641 patients with neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Results over a two-year period showed that patients who received chiropractic care incurred significantly lower health care costs than did patients treated solely by medical or osteopathic physicians.


Saskatchewan Clinical Research

Following a 1993 study, researchers J. David Cassidy, D.C., Haymo Thiel, D.C., M.S., and W. Kirkaldy-Willis, M.D., of the Back Pain Clinic at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatchewan concluded that "the treatment of lumbar intervertebral disk herniation by side posture manipulation is both safe and effective."


Wight Study on Recurring Headaches

A 1978 study conducted by J.S. Wight, D.C., and reported in the ACA Journal of Chiropractic, indicated that 74.6% of patients with recurring headaches, including migraines, were either cured or experienced reduced headache symptomatology after receiving chiropractic manipulation.


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1992 America Health Policy Report

A 1992 review of data from over 2,000,000 users of chiropractic care in the U.S., reported in the Journal of American Health Policy stated that "chiropractic users tend to have substantially lower health care costs" and "chiropractic care reduces the use of both physician and hospital care."

1991 Gallup Poll

A 1991 demographic poll conducted by the Gallup Organization revealed that 90% of chiropractic patients felt their treatment was effective, more than 80% were satisfied with that treatment, and nearly 75% felt most of their expectations had been met during their chiropractic visits.


1990 British Medical Journal Report

A study conducted by T.W. Meade, a medical doctor, and reported in the June 2, 1990, British Medical Journal concluded after two years of patient monitoring that "for patients with low-back pain in whom manipulation is not contraindicated, chiropractic almost certainly confers worthwhile, long-term benefit in comparison with hospital outpatient management."


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Virginia Comparative Study

A 1992 study conducted by L.G. Schifrin, Ph.D., provided an economist's assessment of mandated health insurance coverage for chiropractic treatment within the Commonwealth of Virginia. As reported by the College of William and Mary and the Medical College of Virginia, the study indicated that chiropractic provides therapeutic benefits at economical costs. The report also recommended that chiropractic should be a widely available form of health care.


1985 University of Saskatchewan Study

In 1985 the University of Saskatchewan conducted a study of 283 patients "who had not responded to previous conservative or operative treatment" and who were initially classified as totally disabled. The study revealed that "81% ... became symptom free or achieved a state of mild intermittent pain with no work restrictions" after daily spinal manipulations were administered. (Thanks to Dr. Charles A. Maurer for the compilation of this material.)


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For Headaches:

"Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache." - Duke Evidence Report, McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001)

"The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches. . . Four weeks after cessation of treatment . . . the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values." - Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Boline et al. (1995)

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For The Elderly:

"[Elderly] chiropractic users were less likely to have been hospitalized, less likely to have used a nursing home, more likely to report a better health status, more likely to exercise vigorously, and more likely to be mobile in the community. In addition, they were less likely to use prescription drugs." - Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, Coulter et al. (1996)


For Containing Costs and Getting Workers Back on the Job:

"The overwhelming body of evidence" shows that chiropractic management of low-back pain is more cost-effective than medical management, and that "many medical therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly inadequate." - The Magna Report (1993)

First contact chiropractic care for common low back conditions costs substantially less than traditional medical treatment and "deserves careful consideration" by managed care executives concerned with controlling health care spending. - Medical Care, Stano and Smith (1996)


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