The chiropractor's role in pain management for oncology patients

The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the idea that chiropractors can be key contributors to the pain management of oncology patients.

Although it is an oncologist who institutes the necessary treatment for a cancer patient's primary disease process, a chiropractor can help provide noninvasive and non-pharmacologic options for decreasing pain and improving function. As part of a cancer rehabilitation team, the chiropractor can provide treatment that may significantly enhance a cancer patient's quality of life at any stage in the disease process. Treatment may benefit those patients experiencing pain from the side effects of treatment or from the disease process itself. The chiropractor's treatment may include manipulation, soft tissue techniques, physiotherapeutic modalities, exercise, and ergonomic counseling.

This article describes the potential benefits of chiropractic for cancer patients in the area of pain management and quality of life. Two specific case studies are presented in which cancer patients' quality of life benefited from chiropractic treatment.