Editorial

If Not Chiropractic Care, Then What’s Your Alternative?

By Frank M. Painter|September 25, 2010|Editorial, Iatrogenic Injury, NSAIDs|

If Not Chiropractic Care, Then What’s Your Alternative?

Informed Consent involves discussing the risks and benefits of the treatment you propose (in my case, chiropractic) AND reviewing the risks and benefits of the alternatives, which are “conservative” medical care, which typically involves prescribing muscle relaxers, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and less frequently, prescribing physical therapy.

Many patients who present to a chiropractor for the first time have already gone the medical route, with minimal or negative results. Today I would like to review the risks associated with the most commonly recommended pain relieving analgesics (NASIDs).

(more…)

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Do You Still Beat Your Wife?

By Frank M. Painter|September 20, 2010|Editorial, Stroke|

Do You Still Beat Your Wife?

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: A Chiro.Org Editorial

There are certain accusations that are impossible to respond to, without sounding like a guilty party, trying to weasel out of a tight spot.

The accusation that chiropractic somehow “causes stroke” is one such unsupported and yet impossible-to-defend claim.

The simple truth is that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to demonstrate that chiropractic adjusting in the cervical region has ever “caused” a stroke.

Here’s a simple example of how flawed that logic is:

If I sneeze, and there is a traffic accident across the street, it may be convenient to claim that my sneeze “caused” that accident (especially if someone stood to benefit financially from that claim), but where is the evidence? (more…)

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Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 4

By Frank M. Painter|September 3, 2010|Editorial|

Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 4

The Chiro.Org Blog

We conclude this series by reviewing a brilliant group of 3 consecutive studies comparing popular forms of treatment for chronic spinal pain (NSAID use, acupuncture, and spinal adjusting).

Editorial Commentary:Lynton G.F. Giles, DC, PhD, a researcher at the National Unit for Multidisciplinary Studies of Spinal Pain at the University of Queensland, published the first of 3 studies in 1999. This pilot study involved 77 patients who reported to the Townsville General Hospital, Queensland, Australia with complaints of chronic spinal pain (either neck, mid back or low back). These patients were randomized to receive either NSAIDs, acupuncture, or spinal adjusting as the active form of treatment. [1]

Care was provided for 4 weeks, followed by assessment of improvement. The outcome measures included:

(1) Oswestry Back Pain Disability Index,
(2) Neck Disability Index, and
(3) three visual analogue scales of local pain intensity.After the period of 30 days, the spinal manipulation group was the only intervention that achieved statistically significant improvements. (more…)

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Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 3

By Frank M. Painter|September 2, 2010|Editorial, Research, Safety|

Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 3

The Chiro.Org Blog

Today we will review a trial that Kaiser’s reviewers obviously ignored so that they could deny benefits for cervical adjusting.

Editorial Commentary:

First off, this article should have been very easy for their reviewers to find. Look at the title:

“The Benefits Outweigh the Risks for Patients Undergoing Chiropractic Care for Neck Pain”

This study was a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study. Patients with neck pain of any duration, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were recruited in a practice-based study. Data were collected on the patients and from the chiropractors at baseline, the first 3 visits, and at 3 and 12 months.

Clinical outcome measures included

(1) neck pain in the 24 hours preceding the visit,
(2) neck disability,
(3) treatment satisfaction,
(4) global assessment, and
(5) adverse events. (more…)

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Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 2

By Frank M. Painter|September 1, 2010|Editorial|

Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 2

The Chiro.Org Blog

Our ongoing series of Editorials continues by reviewing what’s known about neck pain, and the success or failure of specific treatment approaches.

Editorial Commentary:

Today we will answer the question:

“Is Patient Advice Adequate for the Management of Neck Pain?”

The first article we will discuss is a Cochrane Database review [1] to assess whether patient education strategies, either alone or in combination with other treatments, are of benefit for pain, function, global perceived effect, quality of life, or patient satisfaction, in adults with neck pain with and without radiculopathy. (more…)

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Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 1

By Frank M. Painter|August 31, 2010|Editorial|

Neck Pain Commentaries: Part 1

The Chiro.Org Blog

As a response to the actions of Kaiser, we will be publishing a series of editorials to review the alternatives, if chiropractic is eliminated from coverage. Informed Consent includes the process of reviewing the safety and efficacy of alternative forms of treatment. So let’s compare medicine’s success with resolving neck pain with chiropractic’s. I hope you will find these reviews of interest.

Editorial Commentary:

A recent balanced article in the Feb 13, 2008 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) revealed that between 1997 and 2005, the costs for “standard medical management” of spinal pain syndromes (both neck and back) increased by an inflation-adjusted 63%, while measurable outcomes for physical functioning, work or school limitations, and social limitations among adults actually declined. During this same period, there was also an overall increase in the number of individuals who experienced neck or back pain (from 20.7% to 24.7%). (more…)

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