Evidence-Based Chiropractic

Written by Jennifer Collins

Modern healthcare should be based on a combination of relevant, up-to-date research, your healthcare provider’s clinical experience, and your wishes and values. This is called “evidence-based practice.”

You deserve to know the scientific facts about your healthcare. Your healthcare provider should therefore know what the best available evidence is that’s relevant to you, and he or she should share that with you when you see him or her. But not everything has been studied yet, so your healthcare provider must also rely on his or her own clinical experience when caring for you.

“Your healthcare is your choice, and you have every right to make decisions based on your own values and beliefs.”

This is known as evidence-based practice or evidence-informed practice. Your healthcare providers learn to share the best available scientific evidence with you (in easy-to-understand language without medical jargon). They are also trained to share their own clinical experience with you and then empower you to make your own healthcare decisions.

Chiropractic has a strong scientific foundation that continues to grow every day. So you can take comfort in the fact that a great deal of research has been conducted on chiropractic care. We know from numerous studies that chiropractic is safe compared to most other healthcare options and that people who visit chiropractors truly appreciate the care they receive. (1-3)

We know from scientific research that chiropractic care improves your brain’s ability to perceive what is happening in and around your body. (4) This means that you may experience all kinds of other improvements in your health and functioning beyond the reason you originally went to see your chiropractor. (5) Many people say they experience improvements in things like the way they breathe, (5) their blood pressure, (6) or even their digestion when they receive adjustments, (7) regardless of whether they went to their chiropractor because they were in pain or not.

We also know from scientific research that people with spinal problems, such as back pain, neck pain, and headaches, show significant improvement with chiropractic care. (8-10)

Chiropractic care can help

Lower back pain can result from a disruption in the way your brain controls the muscles in your back. (11) In other words, your back and brain aren’t communicating properly, which may mean that you’re unable to properly control and stabilize your spine and protect yourself from back injury when you move or lift an object.

This is where a chiropractor can help. A chiropractor gently adjusts dysfunctional spinal segments in your back—what they call chiropractic subluxations. They do this to restore healthy movement in the spine and to improve communication between your brain and your body, which can affect the way your brain controls the muscles in your back.

For many people with back pain, this can make a big difference in how they feel and function, and it can help them overcome their back pain and enjoy life again.

Research confirms this and shows that, for people with lower back pain, chiropractic care is just as effective—if not more effective—than other healthcare options. (12, 13)

More research is needed to determine how effective it is, but current research suggests that there are no better options available in healthcare. (13)

The same applies to other conditions such as neck pain and many types of headaches. (9, 14) A great deal of research is also being conducted into how chiropractors can help people with all kinds of problems that may be caused by a disruption in the communication between your brain and your body. It turns out that the function of the spine is truly important for your brain to know what is happening in and around you. (15)

So when you visit your chiropractor, you can feel confident knowing that the care he or she provides is supported by both research and clinical experience. But don’t forget that your healthcare is your own choice and that you can make decisions based on your own values and beliefs. And this is the essence of evidence-based healthcare.

Have you been to see your chiropractor recently? If not, have your mind-body connection fine-tuned, because chiropractic care helps you feel good and get the most out of life by functioning at your best!

References

  1. Gaumer G. Factors associated with patient satisfaction with chiropractic care: a survey and review of the literature. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2006;29(6):455-62.

  2. Weigel PA, Hockenberry JM, Wolinsky FD. Chiropractic use among Medicare beneficiaries: prevalence, patterns, and associations with 1-year changes in health and satisfaction with care. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014;37(8):542-51.

  3. Gouveia LO, Castanho P, Ferreira JJ. Safety of chiropractic interventions: a systematic review. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2009;34(11):E405-13.

  4. Haavik H, Murphy B. The role of spinal manipulation in addressing impaired sensorimotor integration and altered motor control. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2012;22(5):768-76.

  5. Hawk C, Khorsan R, Lisi AJ, et al. Chiropractic Care for Non-Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Systematic Review with Implications for Whole Systems Research. J Altern Complement Med 2007;13(5):491-512.

  6. Bakris G, Dickholtz Sr M, Meyer PM, et al. Atlas vertebra realignment and achievement of arterial pressure targets in hypertensive patients: a pilot study. Journal of Human Hypertension 2007;21(5):347-52.

  7. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore (NY) 2009;5(5):290-5.

  8. Ruddock JK, Sallis H, Ness A, et al. Spinal Manipulation vs. Sham Manipulation for Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Chiropr Med 2016;15(3):165-83.

  9. Bryans R, Descarreaux M, Duranleau M, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with headaches. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2011;34(5):274-89.

  10. Bryans R, Decina P, Descarreaux M, et al. Evidence-based guidelines for the chiropractic treatment of adults with neck pain. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014;37(1):42-63.

  11. Cholewicki J, Silfies SP, Shah RA, et al. Delayed trunk muscle reflex responses increase the risk of low back injuries. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2005;30(23):2614-20.

  12. Goertz CM, Long CR, Vining RD, et al. Effect of usual medical care plus chiropractic care versus usual medical care alone on pain and work disability among U.S. service members with low back pain: A comparative effectiveness clinical trial. JAMA Network Open 2018;1(1):e180105.

  13. Goertz CM, Pohlman KA, Vining RD, et al. Patient-centered outcomes of high-speed, low-amplitude spinal manipulation for low back pain: A systematic review. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 2012.

  14. Gross A, Langevin P, Burnie SJ, et al. Manipulation and mobilization for neck pain compared with an inactive control or another active treatment. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015(9):Cd004249.

  15. Treleaven, J. Sensory-motor disorders in neck conditions that affect postural stability and head and eye movement control. Man Ther 2008;13(1):2-11.

Acknowledgments

  • Dr. Heidi Haavik - B.S. (Physiology), B.S. (Chiropractic), Ph.D.

  • Dr. Kelly Holt - BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD

  • Dr. Jenna Duehr - BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc

 

Jennifer Collins
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