Chiro.Org Blog:

The purpose of this study was to report demographic characteristics, chiropractic treatment methods and frequency, and clinical outcomes for chiropractic management of neck pain in a sample of veteran patients.

Chiro.Org Blog:

What causes subluxation? Exactly how does it cause nerve interference? What kinds of adjustments work the best, and why? How do adjustments work, anyway? Does any of that really matter in practice? What should our science address, and how should we do it with such limited resources? Why are there so many chiropractic techniques out there, each with its own method of measuring a subluxation? The discussion at the conference was simply more formal, more academic and more public, as it should be. Professional progress demands answers to these questions.

Chiro.Org Blog:

Over the past decade there has been growing scientific evidence supporting the clinical efficacy [6-10] and effectiveness [11,12] of manual therapies in treating LBP. While clinical evidence supporting the efficacy and effectiveness of manual therapies has emerged, less scientific evidence has been offered to explain the effects and mechanisms underlying these treatments. The lack of a mechanistic underpinning hinders acceptance by the wider scientific and health-care communities, and it also limits the development of rational strategies for using manipulative therapies.

Chiro.Org Blog:

For at least as long as any living doctor of chiropractic can remember, our profession has engaged in ongoing and sometimes heated debate about the proper role of its practitioners. Should our primary or sole focus be the spine? The nervous system? Vertebral subluxation? Back and neck pain? Should we be musculoskeletal pain specialists? Complementary care generalists? Primary care physicians?

Chiro.Org Blog:

As part of our continuing series of interviews with chiropractors who work in integrative settings, we visit Jeffrey Sklar, DC, a full-time staff chiropractor with Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Sklar, who previously co-founded an integrative wellness center, has been with CTCA since 2009.

Chiro.Org Blog:

Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Community outreach — whether through political campaigns, participating in local events such as festivals or runs, or joining civic organizations — is one tried-and-true marketing technique that goes hand in hand with simply being a good citizen.

Chiro.Org Blog:

In honor of the first chiropractic adjustment on Sept. 18, 1895, in downtown Davenport, the City of Davenport has issued a proclamation naming September 18 as “Chiropractic Awareness Day.” The first Chiropractic Awareness Day will be celebrated at 12 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, which also is the day Palmer College of Chiropractic recognizes the founding of the chiropractic profession and the College at its annual Founder”s Day.

Chiro.Org Blog:

The World Health Organization defines health as being “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. [ 1 ]

Chiro.Org Blog:

The Research Department of Logan College of Chiropractic invites all D.C.s to participate in a new practice-based research program titled: ICON — The Integrated Chiropractic Outcomes Network

Chiro.Org Blog:

Early next year, chiropractic colleges across the nation will adopt a new set of accreditation standards. Significantly, this will be the first wholesale rewriting of the standards in more than three decades. Set by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE), these rules define what programs must do to gain or maintain CCE accreditation. In a marked departure from past years, the standards will now allow greater freedom in how D.C. programs admit and educate students, while requiring more accountability for producing competent professionals. “It’s a change in the way institutions go about delivering education,” says Dr. Brian McAulay, executive vice president and provost at Life University.

Chiro.Org Blog:

I just read a new Press Release from the Foundation for Vertebral Subluxation (FVS) this morning, titled “Chiropractors Lash Out in Massive Campaign Against Accrediting Agency“. Previous releases from this same group have decried (perhaps rightly) any movement to include prescribing rights for DCs, and this Blog has published extensively about both sides of this issue in the past. [1–14]

Chiro.Org Blog:

There is a baseline of evidence that suggests chiropractic care improves the cervical range of motion (cROM) and pain in the management of WAD. However, the level of this evidence relevant to clinical practice remains low or draws on clinical consensus at this time. The WAD-Plus Model has implications for use by chiropractors and interdisciplinary professionals in the assessment and management of acute, sub-acute and chronic pain due to WAD. Furthermore, the WAD-Plus Model can be used in the future study of interventions and outcomes to advanced evidenced-based care in the management of WAD.

Chiro.Org Blog:

In the last installment, the elements of your patient’s examination were reviewed and you learned how it is the second of the three key elements of the patient’s E/M service. Now, the third part of this E/M documentation series will unravel the final component of the E/M code: medical decision making (MDM). For chiropractors, this is usually the diagnosis and treatment plan.

Chiro.Org Blog:

In the second part of this series, you’ll learn about the objective information required to properly document the examination. Remember, the medical record establishes a chronological record of exams; tests and results; treatments; and treatment plans, including the diagnosis and prognosis of the illness or disease. Its job is to corroborate the reimbursement request and is requisitioned by most payers for adjudication of claims when reimbursement is in question.

Chiro.Org Blog:

Chiropractic Economics magazine published a three-part series by Kathy Mills-Chang, MCS-P, on the evaluation and management (E/M) documentation guidelines. In order to document your history, diagnosis, and treatment of patients in accord with rules set out by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of Inspector General (OIG), your patient record should address: (1) Patient history, (2) Examination, and (3) Medical decision-making (MDM). These three components are addressed in the following three articles, which also make reference to the Sample Worksheet included with Part III

Sidney Crosby, probably the best player in the NHL, and one who is certainly marketed as the face of the NHL along with Alexander Ovechkin, has been unable to play hockey since last year due to a serious concussion. Recently he has been treated by Dr Ted Carrick, a chiropractor and founder of  the Carrick [...]

Chiro.Org Blog:

In terms of mechanical issues, the manipulable spinal disorder (traditionally termed “subluxation” in chiropractic, “somatic dysfunction” in osteopathy, and “fixation” or “functional blockage” in manual medicine) is characterized as a spinal joint strain/sprain with associated local and referred pain and muscle spasm. The function of the spinal joint is deranged by virtue of static misalignment and/or reduction of motion (i.e., “fixation,” “blockage,” or the more generic term “hypomobility”). Mechanisms that have been proposed for this dysfunction, particularly the hypomobility, include:

Chiro.Org Blog:

Depression is a condition seen frequently in primary care practice as well as by practitioners who treat patients with chronic pain. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all adults be screened for depression and those who screen positive for depression be appropriately referred for additional assessment and management. Cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, physical activity and mindful exercise are all accepted approaches to treatment of depression.

Chiro.Org Blog:

This report is among the first to demonstrate sustained radiographic, self-rated, and physiologic benefits after treatment ceased. After completion of a multimodal chiropractic rehabilitation treatment, a retrospective cohort of 28 adult scoliosis patients reported improvements in pain, Cobb angle, and disability immediately following the conclusion of treatment and 24 months later.

Chiro.Org Blog:

Neck pain (NP), along with related disorders such as cervical radiculopathy and headache, is very common. It is estimated that 30-50% of adults will experience some form of significant NP in any given year.. Further, work limitation due to NP occurs in 11-14% of individuals each year. The recent Bone and Joint Decade Neck Pain Task Force identified the need for research that examines the clinical criteria for diagnosis as well as the best forms of treatment for patients with NP and related disorders. Also recognized by the Neck Pain Task Force is the importance of applying a patient-focused approach that considers the biopsychosocial nature of NP.

Chiro.Org Blog:

On Thursday, September 1, 2011, Joel Alcantara, D.C., a prominent chiropractic researcher, joins the research team at Life Chiropractic College West as the newly appointed Chair of Pediatric Research. Dr. Alcantara is one of the rising stars in chiropractic pediatric research. He received his Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry at the University of Calgary and graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in 1995. Prior to his appointment as Research Director of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA), he was on the research faculty at Palmer West and Life West. He lectures internationally on pediatric chiropractic and has numerous peer-reviewed publications and a contributing author in textbooks such as Pediatric Chiropractic, Somatovisceral Aspects of Chiropractic and Fundamentals of Chiropractic.

Chiro.Org Blog:

Scott Haldeman chaired the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Related Disorders, the most comprehensive multidisciplinary review on neck pain ever undertaken. As with similar projects, the Task Force reviewed and evaluated all existing research on the diagnosis and treatment of neck pain. But it went further, initiating original research in insufficiently explored areas, including the now-renowned study by David Cassidy and colleagues which demonstrated that strokes are no more likely after a visit to a chiropractor than after a visit to a medical doctor. In this Health Insights Today interview, Dr. Haldeman discusses the major findings of the Neck Pain Task Force and their implications for the management of this challenging condition.