Studies on the effectiveness of Chiropractic care

A major four-year study in the United States, published in the American Medical Association journal, The Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded that benefit plan members with chiropractic coverage returned to work faster, had lower claim costs and experienced fewer interventions such as MRIs compared to plan members without chiropractic benefits.

A United Kingdom study published in the British Medical Journal concluded that adding spinal manipulation to current “best care” in general practice was effective and cost-effective for patients with low back pain.

The Bone and Joint Decade Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders, an international multi-disciplinary research group, found spinal manipulation to be one of only a handful of treatment options of benefit for neck pain. The study which was published in the journal Spineconcluded that spinal manipulation is a low risk, cost-effective choice.

The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain, published in The Clinical Journal of Pain state that manipulation is more effective for chronic low back pain than usual care by a general practitioner, bed rest, analgesics or massage in the short to intermediate term.  A 2004 review of the WSIB Program of Care for acute low back injuries found faster return to work and high satisfaction levels with chiropractic care.

One of the most significant reports was produced by the Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) in the UK in 1994. The CSAG guidelines for the management of back pain recommend spinal manipulation along with active exercise and physical activity to modify pain mechanisms and speed recovery.

The New Zealand Acute Low Back Pain Guide is a government sponsored, evidence-based guideline based on an extensive review of the international literature and wide consultation with professional groups in New Zealand. The New Zealand guideline reinforced the CSAG recommendations by including adjustment as an appropriate treatment for pain relief and improvement in mobility and function for acute low back pain.

 

The Danish Institute for Higher Technology Assessment (DIHTA) produced a report on frequency, management and prevention of low back pain. DIHTA stated that spinal manipulation is indicated for management of acute pain and to improve function, and should be considered for use in patients who have been experiencing pain for longer than two to three days and recommended that manipulation be considered for recurrent, chronic low back pain and for nerve root/disc conditions.

The U.K. Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) 2001 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Acute Low Back Pain state that there is strong evidence that spinal manipulation can provide short-term improvement in pain and activity levels and demonstrates higher patient satisfaction than alternate treatments. The guidelines recommend that adjustment be considered for pain relief and for patients who are failing to return to normal activities.

Studies in other countries have reached similar conclusions and the international medical literature contains a broad range of published studies attesting to the effectiveness and safety of chiropractic care for musculoskeletal complaints including back pain, neck pain and headaches.

As research advances, evidence continues to accumulate to support the benefits of chiropractic care for a variety of conditions.

 

With each research study performed, the wealth of documentation supporting the effectiveness and the safety of Chiropractic care grows.

Every person owes it to themselves and to those they care about to seek Chiropractic care FIRST, before electing to take potentially dangerous drugs, or run the risks that are associated with surgery.

Chiropractic and Whiplash

Whiplash

Whiplash usually occurs when there is an unusual, unexpected and sudden impact to the body that causes the neck to be thrown in one direction then another very quickly. Of the millions of chiropractic patients each year, many have suffered from a whiplash injury, as whiplash is one of the most common outcomes of an automobile accident with 15-30% of victims suffering from neck pain after an automobile accident.

When the spine is thrown from one direction to another it is usually the rebounding that causes the most damage.  The head is also usually turned to the right or left to a small degree during the accident, which makes the injury more prevalent.  It can cause soft tissue damage, muscle damage, tendon damage and damage to other ligaments.  This damage can range from sever to mild, and be slow or fast healing. It is also capable of causing long term damage that results in chronic pain. Studies show that 50-88% of whiplash sufferers continue to experience pain and some disability for years after the accident.

Spinal Cord Damage

 

The severity of the accident will determine the range of damage. Whiplash can cause symptoms from stiffness to severe pain, and in some cases paralysis or death. The symptoms usually start with soreness and stiffness in the neck, possibly accompanied by a headache, and begin immediately after the accident. Numbness, tingling, pins and needles between the shoulder blades, arm and hand, ear ringing, dizziness, hearing loss, blurred vision, eye pain, sensitivity to light, and other visual impairments are some of the symptoms that accompany whiplash.

In addition, a concussion caused by the rough jarring of the head that throws the brain against the skull, may accompany whiplash. Concussion symptoms are headaches, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, moodiness, depression, and emotional jitters. These symptoms are known as Post Concussion Syndrome.

The Medical Approach

A person involved in an accident should first be sure that there is no life threatening injuries. This is performed by emergency medicine specialists, and is prevalent in keeping the patient out of danger. Once the serious life threatening injuries have been ruled out the victim needs to be examined by a doctor of chiropractic.

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractic care helps alleviate pain and correct the spinal damage that was caused by the whiplash. Many whiplash sufferers are forced to live out their life in pain and taking painkillers to be able to cope with that pain, but those that seek chiropractic treatment can return to normal health through spinal adjustments.  Even whiplash sufferers that have let years pass may be helped by chiropractic. If the spine is not structurally sound, as in the case of whiplash that is untreated, it may lead to other illness and injury over time.

If you have been involved in an accident, no matter how long ago, and are in pain see your local chiropractor for an examination and relief.

Chiropractic and Headaches

Headaches

Sooner or later all of us will get a headaches, as it is the most common pain known to humanity. For more than 20% of the population headaches are chronic or recurrent. There are over 20 varieties of headache, and they can all have different causes.

Headaches may be caused by noxious chemicals, bright lights, sinus trouble, eye problems, high blood pressure, diseased teeth, ear problems, vision problems, fever, infection, brain tumors, epileptic seizures, carbon monoxide, alcohol consumption, drug side effects, and most commonly post traumatic headaches caused by accidents.

The arteries in the brain and skull; the veins; the dura mater, tissue, covering the brain and certain nerves in the head called cranial nerves are the culprits of the headache

The Migraine Syndrome

Six to eight percent of the population suffers from the migraine syndrome headache. In this syndrome the symptoms occur before the headache begins. Dizziness, visual problems, red eyes, swelling of the eyes, tearing, muscle contraction, nausea, vomiting, constipation, or diarrhea are all migraine syndrome symptoms. Migraine pain is most commonly felt in the temples but can be located in the head face or neck and last a few minutes or a few days and be mild or sever agony.

The Cluster Headache

Cluster headaches come on suddenly, are throbbing and spread from the nostril to the side of the face. They may occur from one time to several times a day in clusters lasting weeks or months. It subsides as quickly as it began.

Treatment

Treatment for headaches will depend on what has caused the headache. Headaches due to visual problems may be treated with eyeglasses. Headaches caused by sinus infection may be relieved by getting the infection under control.

Painkillers usually treat the most common headache, the migraine. Aspirin, codeine, ergotamine tartrate, phenelzine sulfate and methysergide are among the most used drug treatments, however with the narcotic drug treatment there is a high risk of addiction.

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractic is not a headache therapy or treatment, however research shows that there is a relationship between the spinal column and headaches, in a study of 600 patients who suffered from headaches for 2 to 25 years showed than spinal column injury was the most prevalent factor in the headaches.

Chiropractic professionals are the only trained healing professionals in how to analyze and correct spinal nerve stress called vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxation weakens the body, lowers vitality and gives way to disease and illness that would have normally been kept at bay by a healthy spine. In 100 cases of headache sufferers, research showed improvement in headache symptoms when cervical (neck) adjustments were performed by a chiropractor.

Instead of swallowing painkillers, and masking symptoms, a chiropractic examination should be performed to determine if vertebral subluxations are related to your headache, and if chiropractic treatment will be helpful in reducing symptoms