Self-reported nonmusculoskeletal responses to chiropractic intervention: a multination survey

Area of Science:

• Chiropractic care
• Nonmusculoskeletal responses
• Patient outcomes

Background:

• Previous studies indicated nonmusculoskeletal responses to chiropractic care.
• Replication of these findings is crucial to validate the effects.
• Understanding influencing factors is key to patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To replicate a prior study on nonmusculoskeletal responses to chiropractic intervention.
• To determine if country, chiropractor attitudes, patient information, demographics, or treatment regimens influence these responses.
• To investigate the impact of chiropractic care on a range of nonmusculoskeletal symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Data collected via questionnaires from 385 chiropractors and 5607 patients across multiple countries.
• Intervention involved spinal manipulation, with or without additional therapies.
• Outcome measures included self-reported improvements in nonmusculoskeletal symptoms like allergies, asthma, digestion, and circulation.

Main Results:

• Study largely reproduced previous findings; 2-10% of all patients reported positive reactions.
• Among patients with specific issues, 3-27% reported improvement, most commonly in breathing (27%), digestion (26%), and circulation (21%).
• Factors like patient information, upper cervical spine treatment, lower thoracic spine treatment, and female sex showed minor influence (pseudo R2 3%).

Conclusions:

• A minority of patients report definite improvement in nonmusculoskeletal symptoms following chiropractic care; very few report worsening.
• Future research should employ stringent criteria to investigate potential treatment effects.
• Focusing on specific diagnostic subgroups, such as digestive problems and tinnitus, is recommended for future studies.