This section is compiled by Frank M. Painter, D.C.
Send all comments or additions to:   Frankp@chiro.org

Chiropractic Care For Veterans A Chiro.Org article collection There is a growing body of clinical studies being published by DCs providing care at Veterans Medical Centers, including the Naval Medical Center at San Diego, the Veterans Health Administration in Washington, DC, Buffalo VA Medical Center, Portland VA Medical Center, and private practices that care for vets. Drop by and review these important studies today. Spinal Manipulation May Help Reduce Spinal Degenerative Joint Disease and Disability Has the hypomobile manipulable joint lesion been demonstrated to exist? Historically the manipulable joint lesion has, from the beginning of the chiropractic profession, been described as a painful stiff joint. [1, 2] Joint stiffness, commonly called hypomobility (also known in the chiropractic profession as "fixation") has become by consensus one of the most important aspects of the manipulable joint lesion in the professions of chiropractic, osteopathy, and manual medicine. [3, 4] Nearly 100 years of clinical agreement between three separate professions supports the existence of such a lesion although research now supports its existence. Chiropractic and Creative Thinking Here's an interesting pilot study...does chiropractic care have an impact on creative thinking? Read on! The Chiropractic Assistants Page A Chiro.Org article collection This section contains articles on CA training, billing practices, office management, practice growth, and patient education. Chiropractic and Scoliosis A Chiro.Org article collection This growing section contains learned works by Richard C. Schafer, D.C., FICC, as well as journal articles discussing the chiropractic approach to managing scoliosis. Chiropractic and Vertigo/Balance A Chiro.Org article collection Dizziness and vertigo is a frequent companion to neck subluxations. Review this section for more on how chiropractic care can help. Chiropractic and Spinal Alignment A Chiro.Org article collection Misalignment of vertebra is one component of the vertebral subluxation complex. This page reviews misalignment and loss of cervical curve, and it's impact on health. Chiropractic and Headache A Chiro.Org article collection Chiropractic can be very effective for reducing or eliminating headaches. This page is devoted to reviewing the various types of headaches, and the research that supports chiropractic care. Chiropractic and Low Back Pain A Chiro.Org article collection Although it's not very exciting, there is more research demonstrating the effectiveness of chiropractic care for LBP than any other complaint. Chronic Spinal Pain: Spinal Manipulation vs. Acupuncture vs. Drugs — A Brilliant Series of 3 Research Projects    The Pilot Study (1999)    Chronic Spinal Pain Syndromes: A Clinical Pilot Trial Comparing Acupuncture, A Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug, and Spinal Manipulation J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999; 22 (6): 376–381 Randomization was successful. After a median intervention period of 30 days, spinal manipulation was the only intervention that achieved statistically significant improvements (all expressed as percentages of the original scores) with (1) a reduction of 30.7% on the Oswestry scale, (2) an improvement of 25% on the neck disability index, and (3) reductions on the visual analogue scale of 50% for low back pain, 46% for upper back pain, and 33% for neck pain (all P<.001). Neither of the other interventions showed any significant improvement on any of the outcome measures.    The Randomized Trial (2003)    Chronic Spinal Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial Comparing Medication, Acupuncture, and Spinal Manipulation Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2003 (Jul 15);   28 (14):   1490–1502 The highest proportion of early (asymptomatic status) recovery was found for manipulation (27.3%), followed by acupuncture (9.4%) and medication (5%). Manipulation achieved the best overall results, with improvements of 50% (P = 0.01) on the Oswestry scale, 38% (P = 0.08) on the NDI, 47% (P < 0.001) on the SF-36, and 50% (P < 0.01) on the VAS for back pain, 38% (P < 0.001) for lumbar standing flexion, 20% (P < 0.001) for lumbar sitting flexion, 25% (P = 0.1) for cervical sitting flexion, and 18% (P = 0.02) for cervical sitting extension. However, on the VAS for neck pain, acupuncture showed a better result than manipulation (50% vs 42%).    The Long-term Follow-up (2005)    Long-Term Follow-up of a Randomized Clinical Trial Assessing the Efficacy of Medication, Acupuncture, and Spinal Manipulation for Chronic Mechanical Spinal Pain Syndromes J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2005; 28 (1): 3–11 The results of this “fastidious” approach were able to add some information regarding the efficacy of treatment regimens in patients with chronic spinal pain syndromes. Overall, patients who have chronic mechanical spinal pain syndromes and received spinal manipulation gained significant broad-based beneficial short-term and long-term outcomes. For patients receiving acupuncture, consistent improvements were also observed, although without reaching statistical significance (with a single exception). For patients receiving medication, the findings were less favorable. Larger studies are now clearly justified. Outcome Assessment Tools & Articles A Chiro.Org article collection This section contains many of the most popular questionnaires, as well as articles discussing their benefits. The Safety of Chiropractic A Chiro.Org Editorial Millions of patients love their chiropractor and appreciate our unique and safe approach to recovery from pain. Significant research suggests that chiropractic is the safest approach available for relief from neck pain, back pain, headaches and other “musculo–skeletal” complaints. Lets review that research, and discuss how modern medicine has contributed to the Myth that chiropractic care is dangerous. Conditions That Respond Well to Chiropractic A Chiro.Org article collection This page reviews a variety of conditions that respond well to chiropractic management. Somatic Dysfunction and the Phenomenon of Visceral Disease Simulation Several theories have been put forth in attempts to explain the possible mechanisms by which patients presumed to be suffering from any of a variety of internal organ diseases are occasionally found to respond quickly and dramatically to therapies delivered to purely somatic structures (e.g., spinal manipulation). The purpose of this review is to examine the scientific bases upon which these sorts of clinical phenomena might be interpreted. The THOUGHT for Today This page collects “Deep thoughts” from a variety of sources! Review the Articles Section for our older articles Since 1–15–2006 Updated 1-28-2023 ChiroZINE was first created by Virgil J. Seutter, D.C. HOW TO CITE THIS PUBLICATION ChiroZine   ISSN 1525-4550

Help Feed a Starving Child Please support the “Feed My Lambs” Program. Carrying Backpacks vs. Pulling Luggage Clinical Chiropractic 2010 (Dec); 13 (4): 253–260 This novel study was performed with German primary school children. Researchers wanted to determine whether giving the children rolling luggage to carry their school books would reduce spinal stress. As it turns out, what might work well for Mom at the airport does not work so well for Junior, lugging his books across uneven sidewalks on the way to school. Attention Deficit Disorder A Chiro.Org article collection Find out more about the impact of food colorings and preservatives on children's behavior, and how chiropractic management can help those who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. The Problem with Placebos/Shams A Chiro.Org article collection This page reviews numerous studies that all had the unusual finding that the sham and the active treatment groups both fared similarly...that is, both groups improved, compared to the control group. The Placebo/Sham Page is devoted to the difficulty (and previous failures) of designing a truly inert sham or placebo adjustment. Adjusting the Pediatric Spine Topics in Clinical Chiropractic 1997; 4 (4): 59–69 The subject of chiropractic care of children must by necessity include a discussion of the various techniques chiropractors use to address a subluxation. [1–2] The act of introducing a force into a spinal joint in an effort to restore mobility or alignment is termed an adjustment. This article discusses the technical aspects of adjusting the pediatric spine (ie, occiput to pelvis). You will enjoy this in-depth article. Adverse Effects of Spinal Manipulative Therapy in Children Younger Than 3 Years J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2008 (Jul); 31 (6): 419–423 This 3-year retrospective study of pediatric case files from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic reviewed six hundred ninety-seven children, who received a total of 5242 chiropractic treatments. 85% of the parents reported an improvement in their child and seven parents reported an adverse effect. There was a reaction rate of approximately 1 child in 100, or one reaction reported for every 749 treatments. There were no serious complications resulting from chiropractic treatment. Forward Head Posture A Chiro.Org article collection For every inch your head moves forwards, the head gains 10 pounds in weight, as far as the muscles in your upper back and neck are concerned, because they have to work much harder to keep the head (chin) from dropping forwards onto your chest. This forces the muscles that raise the chin to remain in constant contraction, putting pressure on the 3 Suboccipital nerves. This nerve compression may cause headaches at the base of the skull, and may even mimic sinus headaches. Cost-Effectiveness Triumvirate — A Brilliant Series of 3 Research Projects Variations in Patterns of Utilization and Charges for the Care of Headache in North Carolina, 2000–2009: A Statewide Claims' Data Analysis J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 (May);   39 (4):   229–239 Overall utilization and average charges for the treatment of headache increased considerably from 2000 to 2005 and then decreased in each subsequent year. Policy changes that took place between 2005 and 2007 may have affected utilization rates of certain providers and their associated charges. MD care accounted for the majority of total allowed charges throughout the decade. In general, patterns of care involving multiple providers and referral care incurred the largest charges, whereas patterns of care involving single or nonreferral providers incurred the least charges. MD-only, DC-only, and MD-DC care were the least expensive patterns of headache care; however, risk-adjusted charges (available 2006-2009) were significantly lower for DC-only care compared with MD-only care. Variations in Patterns of Utilization and Charges for the Care of Neck Pain in North Carolina, 2000 to 2009: A Statewide Claims' Data Analysis J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 (May);   39 (4):   240–251 Increases in utilization and charges were the highest among patterns involving MDs, PTs and referral providers.   These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that medical specialty, diagnostic imaging, and invasive procedures (eg, spine injections, surgery) [17, 19, 20, 21] are significant drivers of increasing spine care costs.   When costs are viewed vertically as if in “silos” (eg, DC-only costs, MD-only costs), increasing utilization of one particular provider is seen as a net cost increase. However, when costs are viewed across the silos, as this study has done, an increase in utilization of one provider group can result in a net cost decrease given its effect on the patient population.   This is an opportunity to view costs laterally versus a confined, vertical analysis. Variations in Patterns of Utilization and Charges for the Care of Low Back Pain in North Carolina, 2000 to 2009: A Statewide Claims' Data Analysis J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2016 (May);   39 (4):   252–262 A major strength of the study was the large amount of low back pain claims made available to us for analysis. The data were from 3,159,362 claims generated by approximately 66,0000 persons over the 2000–2009 decade in North Carolina, in several different pathways of healthcare services. This study and the series of papers it has generated on the treatment of low back pain, neck pain [25] and headache, [26] provides unique economic examination for healthcare policy makers and legislators.   When costs are viewed vertically as if in “silos” (eg, DC-only costs, MD-only costs), increasing utilization of one particular provider is seen as a net cost increase. However, when costs are viewed across the silos, as this study has done, an increase in utilization of one provider group can result in a net cost decrease given its effect on the patient population.   This is an opportunity to view costs laterally versus a confined, vertical analysis. Surviving the Scrutiny of File review Nataliya Schetchikova, PhD reviews common issues in documentation or billing practices that may cause your claims to be flagged for review. Maximizing the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Clinical Documentation Robert Mootz, D.C., Associate Medical Director of the State of Washington Department of Labor and Industries reviews proper file documentation practices. Chiropractic and Chronic Neck Pain A Chiro.Org article collection There is moderate- to high-quality evidence that subjects with chronic neck pain not due to whiplash and without arm pain and headaches show clinically important improvements from a course of spinal manipulation or mobilization at 6, 12, and up to 104 weeks posttreatment. Read more now. Are You Too Young To Supplement? A new study involving 5,201 female U.S. Navy recruits puts this question into perspective. Half this group was given calcium and vitamin D supplementation during basic training, and the amazing result was a reduction of 25% in stress fractures. Considering that 21% of recruits usually experience a stress fracture, this is a big deal to the Navy. A key point is that supplementation led to an immediate and dramatic reduction in health risks. Disc Herniation and Chiropractic A Chiro.Org article collection Chiropractors and medical doctors frequently ask if manipulation of the spine is safe in the presence of a herniated nucleus pulposis (CHNP). The answer is that, in most circumstances, it is not only safe, it is often an essential aspect of treatment. Read more on this topic now. The Whiplash Page A Chiro.Org article collection The Whiplash page contains learned articles on cervical spine and soft tissue trauma, neck injury guidelines, and many peer-reviewed articles demonstrating the benefits of chiropractic management of whiplash. The Cost-Effectiveness of Chiropractic A Chiro.Org article collection While Congress debates the looming health care reform package, you can review why chiropractic management is often more cost-effective than medical management for a range of musculoskeletal complaints. Share these articles with your elected officials! Stroke and Chiropractic A Chiro.Org article collection The Stroke Page is devoted to reviewing the astounding safety of the chiropractic adjustment. When compared to many medical procedures used to treat the identical complaint, the chiropractic adjustment is hundreds to thousands of times safer   You may also refer to the Comparison of Death Rates Attributed to Various Causes