Crater Chiropractic Newsletter
March 2008
www.craterclinic.com

Chiropractic for Chronic Spinal Pain
Gary Peters, D. C.

Latest Research Shows Chiropractic Is The "Only" Care Providing "Broad-Based, Long-Term Benefit"

In 2003, a randomized clinical trial published in the research journal Spine demonstrated that chiropractic manipulation is superior to needle acupuncture and "medication."1,2 The results of a follow-up study were recently released in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT), generating data on patient improvement over one year after care was initially provided.3

The Original Study
Initially, the patients were randomly divided into three groups: acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, and medication. Those in the acupuncture and chiropractic manipulation groups were given "two treatments per week."
The medication group was given one of three drugs, based upon what other drugs they may have already tried. Patients in the medication group were given Celebrex (200-400 mg/day), unless it had previously been tried. The next drug of choice was Vioxx (12.5-25 mg/day), followed by paracetamol (up to 4 g/day).
The results of the 2003 study found that the "highest proportion of early (asymptomatic status) recovery was found for manipulation (27.3%), followed by acupuncture (9.4%) and medication (5%)." The chiropractic manipulation group achieved the best overall results.

The Follow-Up Study
The follow-up study3 reapplied the same measurement instruments to the patients after more than a year. The results of this follow-up study demonstrated that: "Comparisons of initial and extended follow-up questionnaires to assess absolute efficacy showed that only the application of spinal manipulation revealed broad-based, long-term benefit."
"Overall, patients who have chronic mechanical spinal pain syndromes and received spinal manipulation gained significant broad-based beneficial short-term and long-term outcomes. In patients with chronic spinal pain syndromes, spinal manipulation, if not contraindicated, may be the only treatment modality of the assessed regimens that provides broad and significant long-term benefit."

References
1.Giles LGF, Muller R. Chronic spinal pain: a randomized clinical trial comparing medication, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation. Spine 2003;28:1490-1503.
2.Chiropractic best for chronic spine pain: new research shows manipulation superior to acupuncture, drugs. Dynamic Chiropractic, Sept. 1, 2003: www.chiroweb.com/archives/21/18/18.html.
3.Muller R, Giles LGF. 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;28:3-11.





Welcome to the Crater Chiropractic Newsletter. Each month we strive to offer a top of the line educational resource. We believe in empowering our patients with healthcare information and choices.



Announcement
Welcome to Crater Chiropractic Clinic. Special for the month: Free massage with any referral! Have a blessed day!!!

Other Articles
Kids and Chiropractic
Little Humans
Healthy Children and Chiropractic
Adjusting the Newborn
Chiropractic for Chronic Spinal Pain
Chronic Migraines Helped by Chiropractic, Study Shows

Our clinic offers complete chiropractic to the entire family from infancy on up.



About Our Practice
Dr Ross has a family practice located in beautiful upcountry Maui. He is committed to the community he serves. His focus is on long term health care and considers primary care to be the focus of his practice. The attitude of the clinic is to serve the whole patient including lifestyle modification. Dr Ross is a low force practitioner who uses his skills to free up the energetic and neurologic blockages within the human body. He has developed many of his own techniques and teaches his work world wide. He has been serving the community of Maui for fifteen years. Dr Ross welcomes all new patients and looks forward to serving those in the future.

Crater Chiropractic  123 Kauhikoa Road Haiku, HI 96768 808-572-5160
email: craterdoc@yahoo.com     website: www.craterclinic.com