As most of my readers know, I regularly point out biased claims from organized medicine (often parroted by the mainstream press) that chiropractic is not supported by research. That’s why it’s always welcome news when studies are published that DO point out research proving the effectiveness of chiropractic.
The latest, a report published by Australia’s Cochrane Collaboration, confirms what may seem obviously to chiropractors and their patients — that chiropractic can be effective in helping people overcome low-back pain.
The research, led by Bruce Walker, DC, of the Murdoch University School of Chiropractic and Sports Science in Australia, analyzed a number of different techniques provided by chiropractors. Walker and his colleagues at Murdoch studied 12 randomized controlled trials that included 2,887 participants. Each trial compared combined chiropractic interventions to some other therapeutic approach to low-back pain.
The result: in the short-term (within one month after the study began), pain improved in patients treated both with chiropractic and comparison treatments. Benefits were somewhat greater in the chiropractic group , although the difference was not considered “clinically significant,” the study’s authors wrote.
“If consumers have acute or subacute back pain they can have some confidence that if they go to the chiropractor they’ll see some improvement,” Dr. Walker reported.
References: Walker BF, et al. Combined chiropractic interventions for low-back pain (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Issue 4, 2010.
About the Author – Terry A. Rondberg, DC
Dr. Terry Rondberg is an outspoken supporter for research on chiropractic care for not just back pain, but total body wellness. He is founder and CEO of the World Chiropractic Alliance, and is a much sought-after speaker worldwide on the issue of drug-free chiropractic.