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Utilization of Chiropractic Services in Patients with Osteoarthritis and Spine Pain at a Publicly Funded Healthcare Facility in Canada: A Retrospective Study

By |March 8, 2022|Chiropractic Management, Spinal Pain Management|

Utilization of Chiropractic Services in Patients with Osteoarthritis and Spine Pain at a Publicly Funded Healthcare Facility in Canada: A Retrospective Study

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil 2022 (Feb 25) [EPUB]

Amber Reichardt, Steven R Passmore, Audrey Toth, Gerald Olin

Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management,
University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, MB, Canada.



Background:   Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent and disabling musculoskeletal diseases worldwide. There is preliminary evidence from experimental studies and consensus documents that chiropractic management may alleviate spine and/or extremity OA related pain in the short term.

Objective:   This research explores the potential relationship of a pragmatic course of care, including soft tissue therapy, spinal manipulation, and other treatments commonly delivered by chiropractors, to spine and extremity pain in patients with OA.

Methods:   A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the chiropractic program at a publicly funded healthcare facility was conducted. The primary outcome measures for patients diagnosed with spine and/or extremity OA (n= 76) were numeric pain scores of each spinal and extremity region at baseline and discharge, and a change score was determined.

Results:   Statistically significant improvements that exceed a clinically meaningful difference in pain numeric rating scale scores were demonstrated by point change reductions from baseline to discharge visits. Change scores exceeding a minimally clinically important difference of “2-points” were present in the sacroiliac (-2.91), extremity (-2.84), cervical (-2.73), thoracic (-2.61), and lumbar (-2.59) regions.

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Chiropractic in the United States Military Health System: A 25th-Anniversary Celebration of the Early Years

By |February 5, 2022|Nonpharmacologic Therapies, Veterans|

Chiropractic in the United States Military Health System: A 25th-Anniversary Celebration of the Early Years

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   J Chiropractic Humanities 2020 (Dec); 27: 37-58

Bart N.Green DC, MSEd, PhD, Scott R.Gilford DC, Richard F.Beacham DC

Employer Based Integrated Primary Care Health Centers,
Stanford Health Care,
San Diego, California



Objective   The purpose of this report is to record noteworthy events that occurred during the early years of chiropractic in the United States Military Health System (MHS).

Methods   We used mixed methods to create this historical account, including documents, artifacts, research papers, and reports from personal experiences.

Results   Chiropractic care was first included in the MHS in 1995, after years of legislative activity. The initial program was a 3-year study of the feasibility and advisability of integrating chiropractic in the MHS. This period was called the Chiropractic Health Care Demonstration Project; 20 pioneering chiropractors began their MHS journeys at 10 military bases in fiscal year 1995. The Demonstration Project was extended for 2 more years to gather research data, and 3 additional military facilities were added during those years to accomplish that purpose. The Demonstration Project concluded in 1999. In 2000, Congress approved the development of permanent chiropractic services and benefits for members of the uniformed services. These new clinics opened in 2002.

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Health-related Quality of Life Among United States Service Members with Low Back Pain Receiving Usual Care plus Chiropractic Care plus Usual Care vs Usual Care Alone

By |January 29, 2022|Nonpharmacologic Therapies, Veterans|

Health-related Quality of Life Among United States Service Members with Low Back Pain Receiving Usual Care plus Chiropractic Care plus Usual Care vs Usual Care Alone

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Pain Medicine 2022 (Jan 21); pnac009 [EPUB]

UCLA Department of Medicine,
Los Angeles, CA.

Department of Epidemiology,
University of Iowa,
Iowa City, IA.



Objective:   This study examines Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®)-29 v1.0 outcomes of chiropractic care in a multi-site, pragmatic clinical trial and compares the PROMIS measures to: 1) worst pain intensity from a numerical pain rating 0-10 scale, 2) 24-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ); and 3) global improvement (modified visual analog scale).


Design:   A pragmatic, prospective, multisite, parallel-group comparative effectiveness clinical trial comparing usual medical care (UMC) with UMC plus chiropractic care (UMC+CC).

Setting:   3 military treatment facilities.

Subjects:   750 active-duty military personnel with low back pain.

Methods:   Linear mixed effects regression models estimated the treatment group differences. Coefficient of repeatability to estimate significant individual change.

Results:   We found statistically significant mean group differences favoring UMC+CC for all PROMIS®-29 scales and the RMDQ score. Area under the curve estimates for global improvement for the PROMIS®-29 scales and the RMDQ, ranged from 0.79 to 0.83.

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Characteristics of Older Adults with Back Pain Associated with Choice of First Primary Care Provider: A Cross-sectional Analysis from the BACE-N Cohort Study

By |January 20, 2022|Initial Provider, Medicare|

Characteristics of Older Adults with Back Pain Associated with Choice of First Primary Care Provider: A Cross-sectional Analysis from the BACE-N Cohort Study

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   BMJ Open 2021 (Sep 17); 11 (9): e053229

Ørjan Nesse Vigdal, Kjersti Storheim, Rikke Munk Killingmo, Milada Cvancarova Småstuen, and Margreth Grotle

Department of Physiotherapy,
Oslo Metropolitan University,
Oslo, Norway



Objectives:   To describe characteristics of older adults with back pain in primary care, and to assess associations between patient characteristics and type of first primary care provider (general practitioner (GP), physiotherapist (PT) or chiropractor).

Design:   Cross-sectional analysis from the Back Complaints in the Elders-Norway cohort study.

Setting:   Norwegian GP, PT and chiropractic primary care centres.

Participants:   Patients aged ≥55 years seeking Norwegian primary care with a new episode of back pain were invited to participate. Between April 2015 and February 2020, we included 452 patients: 127 first visited a GP, 130 first visited a PT and 195 first visited a chiropractor.

Primary and secondary outcome measures:   For the first objective, the outcome measure was descriptive statistics of patient characteristics, covering the following domains: sociodemographic, general health, current and previous back pain, psychological and clinical factors. For the second objective, first primary care provider was the outcome measure. Associations between patient characteristics and visiting a GP or PT compared with a chiropractor were assessed with multiple multinomial regression analyses.

Results:   Median (IQR) age was 66 (59-72) years. Levels of back-related disability was moderate to severe, with a median (IQR) Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (range 0-24) score of 9 (5-13). Recurring episodes were common, 301 (67%) patients had monthly or yearly recurrences. Patients with worse back-related disability, longer duration of symptoms, lower expectations for full recovery and worse physical performance measured with the Back Performance Scale had higher odds of visiting a GP or PT compared with a chiropractor (p<0.05).

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Attitudes Towards Chiropractic: A Repeated Cross-sectional Survey of Canadian Family Physicians

By |January 19, 2022|All About Chiropractic, Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic|

Attitudes Towards Chiropractic: A Repeated Cross-sectional Survey of Canadian Family Physicians

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   BMC Family Practice 2021 (Sep 15); 22 (1): 188

Jason W. Busse, DC, PhD; Sushmitha Pallapothu, BSc; Brian Vinh, BSc; Vivienne Lee, BSc; et. al.

Department of Health Research Methods,
Evidence, and Impact,
McMaster University,
Hamilton, ON, Canada.



Background:   Many primary care patients receive both medical and chiropractic care; however, interprofessional relations between physicians and chiropractors are often suboptimal which may adversely affect care of shared patients. We surveyed Canadian family physicians in 2010 to explore their attitudes towards chiropractic and re-administered the same survey a decade later to explore for changes in attitudes.

Methods:   A 50-item survey administered to a random sample of Canadian family physicians in 2010, and again in 2019, that inquired about demographic variables, knowledge and use of chiropractic. Imbedded in our survey was a 20-item chiropractic attitude questionnaire (CAQ); scores could range from 0 to 80 with higher scores indicating more positive attitudes toward chiropractic. We constructed a multivariable regression model to explore factors associated with CAQ scores.

Results:   Among eligible physicians, 251 of 685 in 2010 (37% response rate) and 162 of 2429 in 2019 (7% response rate) provided a completed survey. Approximately half of respondents (48%) endorsed a positive impression of chiropractic, 27% were uncertain, and 25% held negative views. Most respondents (72%) referred at least some patients for chiropractic care, mainly due to patient request or lack of response to medical care. Most physicians believed that chiropractors provide effective therapy for some musculoskeletal complaints (84%) and disagreed that chiropractic care was beneficial for non-musculoskeletal conditions (77%). The majority agreed that chiropractic care was a useful supplement to conventional care (65%) but most respondents (59%) also indicated that practice diversity among chiropractors presented a barrier to interprofessional collaboration. In our adjusted regression model, attitudes towards chiropractic showed trivial improvement from 2010 to 2019 (0.31 points on the 80-point CAQ; 95%CI 0.001 to 0.62). More negative attitudes were associated with older age (- 1.55 points for each 10-year increment from age 28; 95%CI – 2.67 to – 0.44), belief that adverse events are common with chiropractic care (- 1.41 points; 95% CI – 2.59 to – 0.23) and reported use of the research literature (- 6.04 points; 95% CI – 8.47 to – 3.61) or medical school (- 5.03 points; 95% CI – 7.89 to – 2.18) as sources of knowledge on chiropractic. More positive attitudes were associated with endorsing a relationship with a specific chiropractor (5.24 points; 95% CI 2.85 to 7.64), family and friends (4.06 points; 95% CI 1.53 to 6.60), or personal treatment experience (4.63 points; 95% CI 2.14 to 7.11) as sources of information regarding chiropractic.

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Care Outcomes for Chiropractic Outpatient Veterans (COCOV): A Qualitative Study with Veteran Stakeholders From a Pilot Trial of Multimodal Chiropractic Care

By |January 18, 2022|Chiropractic Management, Cost-Effectiveness, Veterans|

Care Outcomes for Chiropractic Outpatient Veterans (COCOV): A Qualitative Study with Veteran Stakeholders From a Pilot Trial of Multimodal Chiropractic Care

The Chiro.Org Blog


SOURCE:   Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022 (Jan 14); 8 (1): 6

Stacie A. Salsbury, Elissa Twist, Robert B. Wallace, Robert D. Vining, Christine M. Goertz & Cynthia R. Long

Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research,
Palmer College of Chiropractic,
741 Brady Street,
Davenport, Iowa, 52803, USA.



Background:   Low back pain (LBP) is common among military veterans seeking treatment in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare facilities. As chiropractic services within VA expand, well-designed pragmatic trials and implementation studies are needed to assess clinical effectiveness and program uptake. This study evaluated veteran stakeholder perceptions of the feasibility and acceptability of care delivery and research processes in a pilot trial of multimodal chiropractic care for chronic LBP.

Methods:   The qualitative study was completed within a mixed-method, single-arm, pragmatic, pilot clinical trial of chiropractic care for LBP conducted in VA chiropractic clinics. Study coordinators completed semi-structured, in person or telephone interviews with veterans near the end of the 10–week trial. Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative content analysis using a directed approach explored salient themes related to trial implementation and delivery of chiropractic services.

Results:   Of 40 participants, 24 completed interviews (60% response; 67% male gender; mean age 51.7 years). Overall, participants considered the trial protocol and procedures feasible and reported that the chiropractic care and recruitment methods were acceptable. Findings were organized into 4 domains, 10 themes, and 21 subthemes. Chiropractic service delivery domain encompassed 3 themes/8 subthemes: scheduling process (limited clinic hours, scheduling future appointments, attendance barriers); treatment frequency (treatment sufficient for LBP complaint, more/less frequent treatments); and chiropractic clinic considerations (hire more chiropractors, including female chiropractors; chiropractic clinic environment; patient-centered treatment visits). Outcome measures domain comprised 3 themes/4 subthemes: questionnaire burden (low burden vs. time-consuming or repetitive); relevance (items relevant for LBP study); and timing and individualization of measures (questionnaire timing relative to symptoms, personalized approach to outcomes measures). The online data collection domain included 2 themes/4 subthemes: user concerns (little difficulty vs. form challenges, required computer skills); and technology issues (computer/internet access, junk mail). Clinical trial planning domain included 2 themes/5 subthemes: participant recruitment (altruistic service by veterans, awareness of chiropractic availability, financial compensation); and communication methods (preferences, potential barriers).

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