study: low-back pain relief with chiropractic care
April 2020
In a low-back pain study led by the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research, 73 percent of those who received standard medical care and chiropractic care rated their improvement as pain "completely gone," "much better" or "moderately better." In comparison, 17 percent of participants who received only standard medical care rated their improvement this way.
These results, as well as other measures of pain and function between the two groups, are considered both clinically and statistically significant. This pilot study was conducted at an Army Medical Center in El Paso, Texas, with 91 active-duty military personnel between the ages of 18 and 35.
low-back-pain-bar-graph According to Principal Investigator Christine Goertz, D.C., Ph.D., vice chancellor for research and health policy for Palmer College of Chiropractic, “We know very little about the impact of chiropractic manipulative therapy on diverse populations in real-world settings. This pilot study was the first step in filling that gap in our knowledge. It's exciting not only because of the significant results but also because it led to Palmer College, the RAND Corporation and Samueli Institute receiving a $7.4 million, four-year grant from the Department of Defense. This grant is currently being used to conduct the largest multi-site clinical trial on chiropractic to date, with a total sample size of 750 active-duty military personnel.”
Currently, the Department of Defense (DoD) funded “Assessment of Chiropractic Treatment for Low-Back Pain and Smoking Cessation in Military Active Duty Personnel” (ACT 1) study has successfully recruited more than 50 percent of the target sample size across three locations: Pensacola, Fla., San Diego, Calif., and Bethesda, Md. Enrollment will continue through 2016. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research is the world leader in chiropractic research.