Rosenberg Wellness Center Explains the Value of Chiropractic Research
Research makes the healthcare world go ‘round! Research established the role of healthcare’s pain relieving ability. In chiropractic healthcare, much research entails documenting chiropractic’s benefit for painful musculoskeletal pain issues like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and sciatic leg pain. Rosenberg Wellness Center delivers just such research-documented, effective care to our New York City chiropractic patients.
CHALLENGE: DO HIGH QUALITY RESEARCH
One group of back pain researchers challenged fellow researchers to create long-term plans to lower the problem of low back pain on sufferers and healthcare systems. They explained that developing effective strategies remains a huge job for back pain clinicians, doctors, and researchers. Vexingly, back pain disability levels have not increased despite an increased quantity of published research reports about back pain care. No consensus on the optimal way to manage low back pain has been achieved. Non-drug and non-invasive approaches like exercise, manual therapy, massage, and such are general 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 tough. Designing a “sham” protocol for spinal manipulation that feels like spinal manipulation is really challenging. (Just touching a spine can be relieving some, but that is a topic for a different discussion!) Observational studies are the next best thing. How so? Researchers observe how patients respond when they go through treatment and report on changes and effects. Fortunately, Cox® Technic research has a mix of biomechanical and clinical observational studies resulting in case reports, case series, plus retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Rosenberg Wellness Center feels this mix of research support helps define to our New York City chiropractic patients what clinical outcome relief they may expect.
MINIMAL CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
On occasion, chiropractic physicians and low back pain patients alike are disappointed with the outcomes of treatment for back pain. They shouldn’t be! In medicine, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is reported 30% or 20% and even 10% improvement. That is reported as an “effective” outcome. Cox® Technic has proposed 50% improvement in 30 days as the aim…and still does. Often, chiropractic patients find that 50% relief in less than a month 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 previously undergone back surgery or sought non-relieving care from many other providers, are quite satisfied. A study of 1232 low back pain subjects discovered a MCID pain intensity of 2 (meaning a 2 point move on a scale of 0 no pain to 10 worst imaginable pain). That’s not a big move but is reasonable. (2) It’s a statistic to consider. Weighed against medical and surgical outcomes for back pain treatment that are as low as 10% or 30% expected improvement MCID, our New York City chiropractic clinical outcome objectives are high and often achieved.
THE CHALLENGE OF CHIROPRACTIC RESEARCH – AND HOW CHIROPRACTIC ANSWERS
Chiropractic, like other complementary and integrative healthcare professions, has a little more difficulty in keeping research flowing as many programs are not in large university settings with well-established and well-funded research departments. Global chiropractic researchers are looking for am amswer. Australia, Canada, and Denmark chiropractic researchers have created a leadership academy (CARL – Chiropractic Academy for Research Leadership) for early-career chiropractic researchers to stimulate more chiropractic research. US-based researchers are looking to the RAND Corporation’s Center for Collaborative CIH Research to pool research talent and resources to elevate chiropractic’s quality and quantity of research. (3,4) Strong research carries on at chiropractic universities to record the benefits of chiropractic for musculoskeletal-related pain like back pain, neck pain, arm pain and leg pain.
CONTACT Rosenberg Wellness Center
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.
Schedule your next New York City chiropractic appointment today. Bring your questions about the research supporting our chiropractic care with you! Rosenberg Wellness Center is always ready to share research!
