Our May special… is a free cold laser treatment! Come in any time this month and receive one treatment for free! Cold laser therapy is very effective for both pain relief and speeding up the healing process.
Is chiropractic a safe treatment option for opioid addiction? I recently had a unique opportunity to attend a gathering of Colorado County Commissioners in Washington DC on the White House Campus. I was just following my husband in as a guest, looking at the old architecture and being a quiet shadow. The purpose of the meeting was to communicate with the federal government in an effort to increase understanding of what is happening locally, and what, if anything, could be done together to solve problems. When the Department of Health and Human Services representative spoke, I listened closely. Speaking mostly about what was being done to address the opioid crisis; she described a five-pronged plan that sounded very methodical. I kept waiting to hear some mention of chiropractors and acupuncturists, but nothing was ever said. She did say, “We are working with pharmaceutical companies on cutting-edge research”, and then asked if there were questions. I stood up and said, “You have not mentioned alternative therapies like chiropractic and acupuncture. I happen to do both. If your research is only done by the pharmaceutical industry, you will only get more drugs for your answers. We have non-drug answers and I sure would like to think they would be considered.” She blinked a couple of times and said, “If you will send me some evidence-based research, I will read it.” It just so happened that I recently attended a continuing education seminar on research in the alternative medicine fields, so I compiled a bit of that research and sent it to her.
This month, I would like to share one of those research articles with you. This one is about chronic neck pain. It compares the cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), which is chiropractic care, to physical therapy with supervised exercise (SRE), along with doing only exercises at home after some careful training. It is good to know the term HEA, which stands for Home Exercise, Education and Advice. HEA was given to all three groups. This research included the expenses of trips to-and-from the therapy office, as well as lost productivity in their cost comparison.
Cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy, supervised exercise, and home exercise for older adults with chronic neck pain, by Leninger B, McDonough C, Evans R, Tosteson T, Tosteson AN, Bronfort G. Spine J. 2016 Nov; 16(11): 1292-1304. Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program, Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, B296 Mayo Memorial Building, 420 Delaware St. SE_Minneapolis, MN 55455____
This study took place in 2004-2008 at the NWUHS in Minneapolis, MN. The study involved 241 patients with neck pain that were 65 years old or older, average age 72, 53% were male. They were recruited via newspaper ads, mailings & posters. All had mechanical neck pain with stiffness or tenderness rated more than 3/10 on the NRS scale, with a median duration of this pain of six years. All were on a “stable prescription pain medication plan”. These patients had sought care from differing care givers in the following percentages in the last 3 months: DC (chiropractor) 15%, M.D. 10%, massage therapist 7%, PT (physical therapist) 3%. These patients were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups. Three months of treatment were provided by the exercise therapist and doctors of chiropractic.
All three groups were given Health Education and Advice (HEA) that included: four, one-hour sessions with an exercise therapist, recommendation to stay active,
advice on ergonomics and how to use ice/heat, and medication. They were all trained to do specific neck and shoulder exercises and also stretches to improve balance, coordination, strength and endurance. These exercises and stretches included head retraction, chest expansion, full spine flexion/extension motion cycles, hamstring stretch, quadriceps stretch, hip stretch, cervical flexion & extension (isometric or using resistance tubing), push-ups, chest press (using resistance tubing), seated upright rowing (using resistance tubing), chair squats, abdominal curls, balancing, standing knee lifts, and standing straight-leg hip flexion and extension (endurance 3-4 days a week).
Group One did home exercise and advice (HEA). Group Two did a maximum of twenty chiropractic spinal manipulations (SMT) and HEA, four one-hour sessions. Treatment may have included high velocity low amplitude mobilization, flexion distraction, and light soft-tissue massage. Group Three did supervised rehab exercise (SRE) and HEA. The SRE included four one-hour sessions of supervised HEA and 20 one-on-one supervised rehab exercise sessions lasting one hour. This was done with an exercise therapist similar to the HEA but more closely monitored. Here are the results after one year (the costs are in 2006 US dollars using Medicare national allowable payments or relative value units):
Group 1 = (HEA)
Group 2 = (SMT)
Group 3 = (SRE)
NRS* scores
Group 1 had 32% improvement (5-3.4)
Group 2 had 45% improvement (5.3-2.9)
Group 3 had 37% improvement (4.9 to 3.1)
NDI* scores
Group 1 had 25% improvement (24%-18%)
Group 2 had 30% improvement (23%-16%)
Group 3 had 26% improvement (23%-17%)
Societal cost
Group 1: $2305 ($1390 lost productivity)
Group 2: $2198 ($548 lost productivity)
Group 3: $4129 ($1042 lost productivity)
Healthcare cost
Group 1: $779
Group 2: $1297
Group 3: $2556
Patient costs were calculated using a U.S. median wage rate for adults aged 65 years and older. The societal cost for neck pain includes costs for healthcare, patient time going to and from appointments and receiving treatment, transportation, and lost productivity. Healthcare cost includes only the costs for neck pain, study treatments recorded at each visit by the provider, non-study treatments collected via telephone interviews, and patient self-reported questionnaires.
The conclusion is that the total costs for spinal manipulation plus HEA are 47% lower than Supervised Rehab and Education plus HEA. Spinal Manipulation plus HEA also resulted in a greater re-education of neck pain over the year relative to HEA done at home, or with supervision. On average, Spinal Manipulation Therapy plus HEA resulted in better clinical outcomes and lower total societal costs relative to Supervised Rehab Therapy and HEA, and HEA alone.
Key*:
NRS* = Numerical Rating Scale for pain measurement
NDI* = Neck Disability Index
Announcing the final Saturday fundraiser… coming up on Saturday May 12th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by for a chiropractic adjustment or meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a monetary donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds will benefit Teller County Search and Rescue. After May, the Saturday fundraisers will be discontinued indefinitely.
Is chiropractic a safe treatment option for opioid addiction? I recently had a unique opportunity to attend a gathering of Colorado County Commissioners in Washington DC on the White House Campus. I was just following my husband in as a guest, looking at the old architecture and being a quiet shadow. The purpose of the meeting was to communicate with the federal government in an effort to increase understanding of what is happening locally, and what, if anything, could be done together to solve problems. When the Department of Health and Human Services representative spoke, I listened closely. Speaking mostly about what was being done to address the opioid crisis; she described a five-pronged plan that sounded very methodical. I kept waiting to hear some mention of chiropractors and acupuncturists, but nothing was ever said. She did say, “We are working with pharmaceutical companies on cutting-edge research”, and then asked if there were questions. I stood up and said, “You have not mentioned alternative therapies like chiropractic and acupuncture. I happen to do both. If your research is only done by the pharmaceutical industry, you will only get more drugs for your answers. We have non-drug answers and I sure would like to think they would be considered.” She blinked a couple of times and said, “If you will send me some evidence-based research, I will read it.” It just so happened that I recently attended a continuing education seminar on research in the alternative medicine fields, so I compiled a bit of that research and sent it to her.
This month, I would like to share one of those research articles with you. This one is about chronic neck pain. It compares the cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), which is chiropractic care, to physical therapy with supervised exercise (SRE), along with doing only exercises at home after some careful training. It is good to know the term HEA, which stands for Home Exercise, Education and Advice. HEA was given to all three groups. This research included the expenses of trips to-and-from the therapy office, as well as lost productivity in their cost comparison.
Cost-effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy, supervised exercise, and home exercise for older adults with chronic neck pain, by Leninger B, McDonough C, Evans R, Tosteson T, Tosteson AN, Bronfort G. Spine J. 2016 Nov; 16(11): 1292-1304. Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program, Center for Spirituality & Healing, University of Minnesota, B296 Mayo Memorial Building, 420 Delaware St. SE_Minneapolis, MN 55455____
This study took place in 2004-2008 at the NWUHS in Minneapolis, MN. The study involved 241 patients with neck pain that were 65 years old or older, average age 72, 53% were male. They were recruited via newspaper ads, mailings & posters. All had mechanical neck pain with stiffness or tenderness rated more than 3/10 on the NRS scale, with a median duration of this pain of six years. All were on a “stable prescription pain medication plan”. These patients had sought care from differing care givers in the following percentages in the last 3 months: DC (chiropractor) 15%, M.D. 10%, massage therapist 7%, PT (physical therapist) 3%. These patients were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups. Three months of treatment were provided by the exercise therapist and doctors of chiropractic.
All three groups were given Health Education and Advice (HEA) that included: four, one-hour sessions with an exercise therapist, recommendation to stay active,
advice on ergonomics and how to use ice/heat, and medication. They were all trained to do specific neck and shoulder exercises and also stretches to improve balance, coordination, strength and endurance. These exercises and stretches included head retraction, chest expansion, full spine flexion/extension motion cycles, hamstring stretch, quadriceps stretch, hip stretch, cervical flexion & extension (isometric or using resistance tubing), push-ups, chest press (using resistance tubing), seated upright rowing (using resistance tubing), chair squats, abdominal curls, balancing, standing knee lifts, and standing straight-leg hip flexion and extension (endurance 3-4 days a week).
Group One did home exercise and advice (HEA). Group Two did a maximum of twenty chiropractic spinal manipulations (SMT) and HEA, four one-hour sessions. Treatment may have included high velocity low amplitude mobilization, flexion distraction, and light soft-tissue massage. Group Three did supervised rehab exercise (SRE) and HEA. The SRE included four one-hour sessions of supervised HEA and 20 one-on-one supervised rehab exercise sessions lasting one hour. This was done with an exercise therapist similar to the HEA but more closely monitored. Here are the results after one year (the costs are in 2006 US dollars using Medicare national allowable payments or relative value units):
Group 1 = (HEA)
Group 2 = (SMT)
Group 3 = (SRE)
NRS* scores
Group 1 had 32% improvement (5-3.4)
Group 2 had 45% improvement (5.3-2.9)
Group 3 had 37% improvement (4.9 to 3.1)
NDI* scores
Group 1 had 25% improvement (24%-18%)
Group 2 had 30% improvement (23%-16%)
Group 3 had 26% improvement (23%-17%)
Societal cost
Group 1: $2305 ($1390 lost productivity)
Group 2: $2198 ($548 lost productivity)
Group 3: $4129 ($1042 lost productivity)
Healthcare cost
Group 1: $779
Group 2: $1297
Group 3: $2556
Patient costs were calculated using a U.S. median wage rate for adults aged 65 years and older. The societal cost for neck pain includes costs for healthcare, patient time going to and from appointments and receiving treatment, transportation, and lost productivity. Healthcare cost includes only the costs for neck pain, study treatments recorded at each visit by the provider, non-study treatments collected via telephone interviews, and patient self-reported questionnaires.
The conclusion is that the total costs for spinal manipulation plus HEA are 47% lower than Supervised Rehab and Education plus HEA. Spinal Manipulation plus HEA also resulted in a greater re-education of neck pain over the year relative to HEA done at home, or with supervision. On average, Spinal Manipulation Therapy plus HEA resulted in better clinical outcomes and lower total societal costs relative to Supervised Rehab Therapy and HEA, and HEA alone.
Key*:
NRS* = Numerical Rating Scale for pain measurement
NDI* = Neck Disability Index
Announcing the final Saturday fundraiser… coming up on Saturday May 12th, from 9am until 1pm. Stop by for a chiropractic adjustment or meridian balancing (acu-stim) treatment in exchange for a monetary donation in the amount of your choice. All proceeds will benefit Teller County Search and Rescue. After May, the Saturday fundraisers will be discontinued indefinitely.
