Veterans

Chiropractic Management for US Female Veterans With Low Back Pain

By Frank M. Painter|December 4, 2017|Veterans|

Chiropractic Management for US Female Veterans With Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Study of Clinical Outcomes

SOURCE: J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2017 (Oct); 40 (8): 573–579

Kelsey L. Corcoran, DC, Andrew S. Dunn, DC, MEd, MS,
Lance R. Formolo, DC, MS, Gregory P. Beehler, PhD, MA

Chiropractic Department,
Medical Care Line,
VA Western New York,
Buffalo, New York

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if female US veterans had clinically significant improvement in low back pain after chiropractic management.

METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review of 70 courses of care for female veterans with a chief complaint of low back pain who received chiropractic management through the VA Western New York Healthcare System in Buffalo, New York. A paired t test was used to compare baseline and discharge outcomes for the Back Bournemouth Questionnaire. The minimum clinically important difference was set as a 30% improvement in the outcome measure from baseline to discharge.

RESULTS: The average patient was 44.8 years old, overweight (body mass index 29.1 kg/m2), and white (86%). The mean number of chiropractic treatments was 7.9. Statistical significance was found for the Back Bournemouth Questionnaire outcomes. The mean raw score improvement was 12.4 points (P < .001), representing a 27.3% change from baseline with 47% of courses of care meeting or exceeding the minimum clinically important difference.

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Military Report More CAM Use Than Civilians

By Frank M. Painter|November 1, 2017|Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Veterans|

Military Report More Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Than Civilians

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: J Altern Complement Med. 2013 (Jun); 19 (6): 509–517

Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, Bernadette P. Marriott, PhD,
Michael D. Finch, PhD, Robert M. Bray, PhD,
Thomas V. Williams, PhD, Laurel L. Hourani, PhD,
Louise S. Hadden, BA, Heather L. Colleran, PhD,
and Wayne B. Jonas, MD

Palmer College of Chiropractic,
Davenport, IA 52803, USA.

OBJECTIVES: The study objective was to estimate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among active duty military and compare data with civilian use.

DESIGN: A global survey on CAM use in the 12 previous months was conducted. Final participants (16,146) were stratified by gender, service, region, and pay grade. Analysis included prevalence of CAM use, demographic and lifestyle characteristics.

RESULTS: Approximately 45% of respondents reported using at least one type of CAM therapy. Most commonly used therapies were as follows: prayer for one’s own health (24.4%), massage therapy (14.1%), and relaxation techniques (10.8%). After exclusion of prayer for one’s own health, adjusting to the 2000 U.S. census, overall CAM use in the military (44.5%) was higher than that in comparable civilian surveys (36.0% and 38.3%).

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A Typical Week at the St. Louis VA Medical Center

By Frank M. Painter|September 21, 2017|Veterans|

A Typical Week at the St. Louis VA Medical Center

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: ACA Blog ~ 9–19–2017

By Steven Huybrecht, DC

VA St. Louis Healthcare System

I’ve had more than a handful of family and friends ask me, “What’s it like working for the VA in St Louis?” and my response is always the same—“It’s great!” I usually then proceed to give them a rundown of what a typical week looks like as my activities vary from day to day and sometimes from month to month.

An average week is broken down into four different segments:

outpatient clinic,
interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation (IPR) program,
scholarly activities, and
clinical rotations.

The majority of my time is spent in clinic helping veterans manage their pain and develop healthy habits for self-care. However, the time spent outside the clinic has also been beneficial for personal development and education.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, I provide chiropractic care in the pain clinic during our normal hours of 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. along with the program director Dr. Pamela Wakefield and attending chiropractor Dr. Glenn Bub. I usually see anywhere from six to eight veterans on an average day, some more clinically complex than others. We have a (relatively) small workspace, but are very busy and have a full schedule on almost every clinic day.

This time is the “bread and butter” of my week where I’m working with veterans who not only have pain issues, but also often have multiple comorbidities. I spent over two years in private practice before starting at the St. Louis VA Healthcare System and have already seen more complexity in my patient population in the first two months of my residency than I saw in those previous two years.

On Tuesdays, in addition to treating veterans I have some scholarly time. One of the recent projects I participated in with two other residents, Nicholas Evertz from Canandaigua, N.Y. and Rachel Mooers from Los Angeles, Calif., was to create a presentation of evidence-based spinal examination procedures. After scouring the literature and cultivating sources, the best tests for diagnosing spinal-related complaints were established. This taught us not only how to critically appraise research, but also how to work together from different sites across the United States.

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Trends in the Use and Characteristics of Chiropractic Services in the Department of Veterans Affairs

By Frank M. Painter|June 15, 2016|Veterans|

Trends in the Use and Characteristics of Chiropractic Services in the Department of Veterans Affairs

The Chiro.Org Blog

SOURCE: J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 (Jun); 39 (5): 381-6

Anthony J. Lisi, DC, Cynthia A. Brandt, MD, MPH

Chiropractic Section Chief,
VA Connecticut Healthcare System,
West Haven, CT;
Assistant Clinical Professor,
Yale Center for Medical Informatics,
Yale University School of Medicine,
New Haven, CT.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to analyze national trends and key features of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) chiropractic service delivery and chiropractic provider workforce since their initial inception

METHODS: This was a serial cross-sectional analysis of the VA administrative data sampled from the first record of chiropractic services in VA through September 30, 2015. Data were obtained from VA’s Corporate Data Warehouse and analyzed with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: From October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2015, the annual number of patients seen in VA chiropractic clinics increased from 4052 to 37349 (821.7%), and the annual number of chiropractic visits increased from 20072 to 159366 (693.9%). The typical VA chiropractic patient is male, is between the ages of 45 and 64, is seen for low back and/or neck conditions, and receives chiropractic spinal manipulation and evaluation and management services. The total number of VA chiropractic clinics grew from 27 to 65 (9.4% annually), and the number of chiropractor employees grew from 13 to 86 (21.3% annually). The typical VA chiropractor employee is a 45.9-year-old man, has worked in VA for 4.5 years, and receives annual compensation of $97860. VA also purchased care from private sector chiropractors starting in 2000, growing to 159533 chiropractic visits for 19435 patients at a cost of $11155654 annually.

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