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Short-term usual chiropractic care for spinal pain: a randomized controlled trial
Bruce F Walker1, Jeff J Hebert, Norman J Stomski
1*School of Health Professions †School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Australia; and ‡School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Spine
|September 13, 2013
Summary
Short-term chiropractic therapy showed modest improvements in spinal pain and function compared to sham treatments. However, these effects were not clinically significant, though patient satisfaction was higher with chiropractic care.
Area of Science:
- Evidence-based practice in musculoskeletal health.
- Clinical trial methodology and outcomes research.
- Spinal pain management and complementary therapies.
Background:
- Chiropractic care is a common treatment for spinal pain.
- Robust evidence for chiropractic effectiveness in spinal pain is limited.
- Need for rigorous studies to evaluate chiropractic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the short-term effectiveness of chiropractic therapy versus a sham intervention for spinal pain.
- To identify predictors of patient satisfaction with chiropractic treatment.
- To compare pain intensity and functional improvements between groups.
Main Methods:
- A parallel-group randomized controlled trial involving 183 adults with spinal pain.
- Participants received either chiropractic treatment or a sham intervention, with blinding for participants and assessors.
- Primary outcomes measured at 2 weeks included pain intensity and physical function.
Main Results:
- Chiropractic therapy led to greater improvements in pain (mean difference: 0.5) and function (mean difference: 2.1) compared to sham.
- Higher rates of global improvement (48% vs. 24%) and treatment satisfaction (78% vs. 56%) were observed in the chiropractic group.
- No significant difference was found in achieving a minimally acceptable outcome between the groups (29% vs. 34%).
Conclusions:
- Short-term chiropractic treatment demonstrated superiority over sham interventions for spinal pain.
- While statistically significant, the observed treatment effects were not deemed clinically important.
- Patient awareness of treatment assignment and achieving clinically important pain reduction predicted satisfaction with chiropractic care.
