JAMA Publishes Another Positive Chiropractic Study
A new study reported in the May 2018 issue of JAMA Network Open (study) of 750 active duty US military personnel with acute low back pain (LBP) compared the effectiveness of standard care alone (medication, physical therapy, pain management) vs. a collaborative care plan that included chiropractic manipulation. The study concluded:
“Chiropractic care, when added to usual medical care, resulted in moderate short-term improvements in low back pain intensity and disability in active-duty military personnel. This trial provides additional support for the inclusion of chiropractic care as a component of multidisciplinary health care for low back pain, as currently recommended in existing guidelines.”
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Chiropractic co-managed patients reported:
· significantly lower mean worst pain intensity;
· significantly less symptom “bothersomeness”;
· significantly better global perceived improvement;
· significantly greater mean satisfaction with care;
· significantly less pain medication use; and
· no serious treatment-related adverse events.
A related editorial published by Medscape Medical News noted: “These findings are particularly noteworthy because it is usually more difficult to detect meaningful treatment benefits in patient populations who have especially promising natural histories as they are young, physically fit, and unlikely to be using opioids (<6% of patients) and include a large fraction of patients with acute pain.”
