Chiropractic Shows Improvement for Nonmusculoskeletal Patients An international study of 5,607 chiropractic patients has found a possible link between spinal adjustments and changes in nonmusculoskeletal conditions. Through the World Federation of Chiropractic, a total of 385 volunteer DCs cared for 5,607 chiropractic patients in seven different countries. Each DC was responsible for one country (Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States) or one study site (three in Australia and four in Canada). Then, the DCs analyzed questionnaires from the patients. According to the data collected, patients sought chiropractic care for lower-back pain and neck problems, not for nonmusculoskeletal complaints. Fifty-six percent of the patients experienced one to six treatment visits. Manual adjustments were given to 83% of patients; 52% received soft-tissue therapy; and 35% were treated with mechanically assisted adjustments. The study found that the most significant changes were seen in patients with nonmusculoskeletal complaints. In relation to their complaint, 9% – 56% reported some degree of improvement, while 1% – 6% reported worsening. According to the investigators, the study suggests that there is some relationship between spinal adjustments and changes in nonmusculoskeletal conditions. However, limitations include the absence of a control group with which to compare the results for investigating the treatment effects. Therefore, it is not possible to establish whether the patients improved or worsened because of the treatment. Investigators say additional research is required before a claim can be made that chiropractic care is an effective treatment for nonmusculoskeletal ailments.

Low-Level Heat Reduces Lower-Back Pain
A study published in the journal Spine has found that continuous low-level heat wrap therapy (CLHT) can significantly reduce acute lower-back pain and improve functional outcomes in patients who use CLHT with exercise.

In the study, 100 patients who suffered from nonspecific lower-back pain for less than 3 months were randomly assigned to one of four groups: CLHT alone, exercise alone, a combination of CLHT and exercise, and control. They received treatment for 5 consecutive days, including four visits to the study center over 1 week. Outcomes were measured 2 days after the treatment ended.

The results showed that patients who had 70% less lower-back pain exercised and received CLHT therapy, had a 139% greater reduction in disability, and a 95% improvement in functional ability, as compared to those who only exercised.

Chrysalis Offers Chiropractic Degree Program
Chrysalis Institute of Health and Wellness in Kansas City, Mo, announces that it will offer a doctor of chiropractic degree beginning fall of 2006. The wellness philosophy at Chrysalis Institute is “good nutrition, regular physical activity, good mental health, and regular chiropractic care.”

The core curriculum of the doctor of chiropractic degree is “research based.” Students who enroll in the program will be taught the process of finding, appraising, and using research findings as the basis for clinical decisions. In the chiropractic setting, students will: create a focused clinical queston regarding a patient’s problem, search the medical and chiropractic literature for relevant clinical articles, critically review the evidence for its validity, and apply the findings in a chiropractic practice.

For additional information on the doctor of chiropractic degree program, visit www.chrysalisinstitute.org.

CCA Offers Simple Steps to Prevent Backpack Injuries
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, backpack-related injuries among schoolchildren in the United States have increased an estimated 300% since 1996. The California Chiropractic Association (CCA) is urging all parents to help children avoid back pain and injuries by using a simple set of guidelines when choosing a backpack for school.

“This is an important issue for doctors of chiropractic because we focus on wellness and preventive care,” says Kassie Donoghue, DC, president of CCA. “Our job is to help prevent health problems, and that’s why doctors of chiropractic are so concerned about children carrying backpacks that don’t fit well or that are too heavy.”

The CCA says when choosing a backpack, look for: padded shoulder straps, a padded back, lumbar support, a waist belt, multiple compartments, and the correct size.

The CCA also recommends that loaded backpacks should weigh no more than 15% of the child’s body weight; distribute weight properly (load heavier items closest to the back); be taken off when the carrier is standing for a long time; and have snug straps.

Exercise Helps Chronic Lower-Back Pain Recent research conducted at Toronto Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has found that exercise therapy can make a difference for long-term back pain. The analysis was an update of a review that was published in 1999. “Exercise therapy can help alleviate pain and improve function for some patients with nonspecific lower-back pain—pain that isn’t the result of a condition like arthritis or infection,” says Jill Hayden, DC, lead author of the study. Hayden searched the medical literature published up to October 2004, and systematically reviewed 61 published randomized controlled studies that evaluated the benefits of exercise compared to other treatments as well as no treatment at all. The studies examined the benefits of exercise therapy for patients in the acute stage (pain lasting up to 6 weeks), the subacute stage (symptoms lasting from 6 to 12 weeks), and the chronic stage (symptoms lasting longer than 3 months). The study found that adults with chronic lower-back pain had modest improvements in physical functions and reduced pain with exercise therapy. Hayden’s review did not find a difference between patients with acute lower-back pain who underwent therapy and those who did not. According to Hayden, the majority of people in the acute phase will get better on their own, without treatment. For subacute lower-back pain, the study found that workers benefited from a program that included a gradual increase in exercise intensity. Hayden conducted a second systematic review of 43 research studies about back pain and exercise. These studies were focused on identifying particular characteristics of exercise interventions that contributed to decreased pain and improved function among patients with chronic lower-back pain. “When we analyzed the research, we found that the most effective strategy seems to be supervised, individually tailored exercise programs,” says Hayden. “Stretching and strengthening exercises were the most effective in improving pain and function in adults with chronic lower-back pain.”

Chiropractic Helps MS Patients
A study conducted at the extended care facility of Monroe Community Hospital in Rochester, NY, has found that chiropractic helps relieve pain associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).

In the study, 19 patients (whose average age was 52.7) who suffered from relapsing MS received chiropractic care over a 12-month period. The results found that all 19 patients showed a trend toward improvement, and only three patients showed side effects that lasted less than 48 hours.

The researchers noted that MS patients were likely to develop chronic pain syndrome. Given the high rate of complications with anti-inflammatory drugs, it is important that patients seek different treatment options.

“The treatment for pain has traditionally been pharmacological,” the researchers say. “However, greater numbers of MS patients suffering from chronic pain are turning to nonpharmacologic treatment options, including chiropractic care.”

Chiropractic Named Creative Profession
According to Madeline Behrendt, DC, associate editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research (JVSR), chiropractors fit perfectly into the creative class, as described in Richard Florida’s book, The Rise of the Creative Class, since they are among those who “make dreams tangible; who invent, excite, and provoke.”

“Chiropractic principles and protocols guide both tactile and diagnostic skills, and practitioners use creativity to problem-solve case by case, as each person is their own magnificent puzzle,” writes Behrendt in her recent article “Benchmarking Chiropractors as Members of the Creative Class,” published in the May 14, 2005, issue of JVSR. “The result: Within a chiropractic practice, the meaningful new form created is a higher level of human experience.”

According to Behrendt, chiropractors fit into four major criteria: practice, play, professional, and personal lives. She concludes that chiropractors display all the major attributes of creative professions.

“As authors, editors, technique or technology developers, educational leaders, and researchers, they stimulate new ideas,” Behrendt writes. “And in case after case in practice, creativity is applied to heal the mysteries of each client’s vertebral subluxation puzzle.”