Satterwhite Chiropractic Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research grounds the role of healthcare’s pain relieving ability. For chiropractic healthcare, much research revolves around providing evidence of chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal conditions like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Satterwhite Chiropractic offers just such research-documented, effective care to our Oxford chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
One group of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to come up with long-term plans to decrease the burden of low back pain on patients and healthcare systems. They described that developing effective strategies remains a huge job 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 manage low back pain has been agreed upon. Non-drug and non-invasive options like exercise, manual therapy, massage, and such are typical recommendations. Other reviewing researchers indicated a few problems 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 especially challenging. (Just touching a spine can be relieving some, but that is a topic for another article!) Observational studies are the next best thing. How so? Researchers observe how patients respond when they undergo treatment and describe 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. Satterwhite Chiropractic feels this mix of research support helps explain to our Oxford chiropractic patients what clinical outcome relief they may anticipate.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
On occasion, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike find themselves 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 is reported as an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has offered 50% improvement in 30 days as the aim…and still does. Often, chiropractic patients find that 50% relief in fewer than 30 days and that the 50% relief is more like 70% or 80% or 90%! Sometimes, a patient’s response may be slower in getting relief or only reaches 30% or 40%. Some patients want more while others, especially patients who have already undergone back surgery or sought non-relieving care from many other providers, are excited. 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 realistic. (2) It’s a statistic to share. Weighed against medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our Oxford chiropractic clinical outcome goals 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 difficulty 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 looking for a solution. Australia, Canada, and Denmark chiropractic researchers have created a leadership academy (CARL – Chiropractic Academy for Research Leadership) for early-career chiropractic researchers to promote more chiropractic research. US-based researchers are turning to the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative CIH Research to assemble research talent and assets to advance 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 Satterwhite Chiropractic
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 explains research studies he’s managed.
Make your next Oxford chiropractic appointment now. Bring your questions about the research behind our chiropractic care with you! Satterwhite Chiropractic is always ready to share research!
