BUFFALO, NY — Does chiropractic management create clinically significant improvement in low back pain for female U.S. veterans?
That was the question investigated by a study published recently in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapy.1
For the retrospective chart review, a study team led by researchers from the VA Western New York Healthcare System focused on 70 courses of care for female veterans with a chief complaint of low back pain who received chiropractic management through the VAMC in Buffalo. The Back Bournemouth Questionnaire was used to evaluate back pain, and the minimum clinically important difference was set as a 30% improvement in the outcome measure from baseline to discharge.
The average participant was 44.8 years old, overweight (body mass index 29.1 kg/m2) and white (86%), with a number of 7.9 chiropractic treatments.
Results indicated statistical significance for the Back Bournemouth Questionnaire outcomes. The mean raw score improvement was 12.4 points (P < .001), representing a 27.3% change from baseline with 47% of courses of care meeting or exceeding the minimum clinically important difference, researchers reported.
“For our sample of female veterans with low back pain, clinical outcomes from baseline to discharge improved under chiropractic care,” study authors concluded. “Although further research is warranted, chiropractic care may be of value in contributing to the pain management needs of this unique patient population.”
1Corcoran KL, Dunn AS, Formolo LR, Beehler GP. Chiropractic Management for US Female Veterans With Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Study of Clinical Outcomes. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2017 Oct;40(8):573-579. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2017.07.001. PubMed PMID: 29187308.
