Articles

The clinical utility of routine spinal radiographs by chiropractors: a rapid review of the literature

When indicated by signs or symptoms of potentially serious underlying pathology (red flags), chiropractors can use radiographs to inform their diagnosis. In the absence of red flags, the clinical utility of ro...

Authors: Melissa Corso, Carol Cancelliere, Silvano Mior, Varsha Kumar, Ali Smith and Pierre Côté

Guidance concerning chiropractic practice in response to COVID-19 in the U.S.: a summary of state regulators’ web-based information

The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented changes, as many state and local governments enacted stay-at-home orders and non-essential businesses were closed. State chiropractic licensing boards play an importa...

Authors: Shawn M. Neff, Christopher B. Roecker, Casey S. Okamoto, Samuel L. Holguin, Jason G. Napuli, Ross Mattox, Nathan A. Hinkeldey and David J. Paris

Predictors of instantaneous relief from spinal manipulation for non-specific low back pain: a delphi study

There is some evidence and anecdotal reports that high-velocity low-amplitude (HVLA) spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) for non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) may immediately reduce pain in some patients. The m...

Authors: Stanley Innes, Amber Beynon, Christopher Hodgetts, Rachel Manassah, Denyse Lim and Bruce F. Walker

Management of patients with prior lumbar fusion: a cross-sectional survey of Veterans Affairs chiropractors’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices

Little is known about the preferred treatment strategies of chiropractors in managing low back pain patients with prior lumbar fusions. There are several case reports which describe chiropractic care following...

Authors: Clinton J. Daniels, Jordan A. Gliedt, Pradeep Suri, Edward M. Bednarz and Anthony J. Lisi

PROMIS® General Life Satisfaction scale: construct validity in musculoskeletal pain patients

Life satisfaction is part of subjective well-being. Measurement of life satisfaction is undertaken using self-report measures. This study aimed to evaluate the structural validity, concurrent validity, and int...

Authors: Brett Vaughan, Jane Mulcahy and Kylie Fitzgerald

Pressure pain threshold and temporal summation in adults with episodic and persistent low back pain trajectories: a secondary analysis at baseline and after lumbar manipulation or sham

People with chronic low back pain (LBP) typically have increased pain sensitivity compared to healthy controls, however its unknown if pain sensitivity differs based on LBP trajectory at baseline or after manu...

Authors: Sasha L. Aspinall, Angela Jacques, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Sarah J. Etherington and Bruce F. Walker

Vitalism in contemporary chiropractic: a help or a hinderance?

Chiropractic emerged in 1895 and was promoted as a viable health care substitute in direct competition with the medical profession. This was an era when there was a belief that one cause and one cure for all d...

Authors: J. Keith Simpson and Kenneth J. Young

The effectiveness and safety of conservative interventions for positional plagiocephaly and congenital muscular torticollis: a synthesis of systematic reviews and guidance

To investigate for congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) and positional plagiocephaly (PP) the effectiveness and safety of manual therapy, repositioning and helmet therapy (PP only) using a systematic review o...

Authors: Julie Ellwood, Jerry Draper-Rodi and Dawn Carnes

Misinformation about spinal manipulation and boosting immunity: an analysis of Twitter activity during the COVID-19 crisis

Social media has become an increasingly important tool in monitoring the onset and spread of infectious diseases globally as well monitoring the spread of information about those diseases. This includes the sp...

Authors: Greg Kawchuk, Jan Hartvigsen, Steen Harsted, Casper Glissmann Nim and Luana Nyirö

Immediate effects of a lumbar spine manipulation on pain sensitivity and postural control in individuals with nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there is strong evidence to show that vertebral mobilization and manipulation procedures can be used to improve spinal and hip mobility and reduce pain a...

Authors: Jefferson Fagundes Loss, Luciano de Souza da Silva, Iã Ferreira Miranda, Sandro Groisman, Edgar Santiago Wagner Neto, Catiane Souza and Cláudia Tarragô Candotti

Inter-examiner reliability of radiographic measurements from Open-mouth lateral bending cervical radiographs

Following head and neck trauma, the involvement of the cranio-cervical junction (CCJ) and its contribution to a patients transition to chronic pain, is poorly understood. The detection of hypermobility in this...

Authors: Karthik V. Hariharan, Lauren Terhorst, Matthew D. Maxwell, Christopher G. Bise, Michael G. Timko and Michael J. Schneider

Are Councils on Chiropractic Education expectations of chiropractic graduates changing for the better: a comparison of similarities and differences of the graduate competencies of the Chiropractic Council on Education-Australasia from 2009 to 2017

The Council on Chiropractic Education Australasia (CCE-A) is tasked with assessment and accreditation of chiropractic programs (CPs) in the Australasian community. To achieve this process the CCE-A has develop...

Authors: Stanley I. Innes and Amanda Kimpton

Attitudes to functional neurology and some other ‘prescriptive’ chiropractic techniques and their associations with chiropractic conservatism: a cross-sectional survey of chiropractic students

Chiropractic technique systems (‘prescriptive’ techniques) might be interpreted as helpful guidelines. However, ‘prescriptive’ techniques, such as Functional Neurology (FN), Sacro-Occipital Technique, and Appl...

Authors: Marine Demortier, Guillaume Goncalves, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Christine Le Scanff and Niels Wedderkopp

Neck-specific strengthening exercise compared with sham ultrasound when added to home-stretching exercise in patients with migraine: study protocol of a two-armed, parallel-groups randomized controlled trial

Migraine is a highly disabling condition and pharmacological treatment is the gold standard. However, several patients have also positive responses to the application of different manual techniques and therape...

Authors: Mariana Tedeschi Benatto, Lidiane Lima Florencio, Marcela Mendes Bragatto, Fabíola Dach, César Fernández-de-las-Peñas and Débora Bevilaqua-Grossi

Chiropractic students call for action against unsubstantiated claims

The 2019 coronavirus pandemic is a current global health crisis. Many chiropractic institutions, associations, and researchers have stepped up at a time of need. However, a subset of the chiropractic professio...

Authors: Joshua Plener, Ben Csiernik, Geronimo Bejarano, Jesper Hjertstrand and Benjamin Goodall

The Manchurian candidate: chiropractors as propagators of neoliberalism in health care

The rise of neoliberalism has influenced the health care sector, including the chiropractic profession. The neoliberal infiltration of market justice behavior is in direct conflict with the fiduciary agreement...

Authors: Jordan A. Gliedt, Benjamin D. Holmes and David A. Nelson

The use of internet analytics by a Canadian provincial chiropractic regulator to monitor, evaluate and remediate misleading claims regarding specific health conditions, pregnancy, and COVID-19

Internet analytics are increasingly being integrated into public health regulation. One specific application is to monitor compliance of website and social media activity with respect to jurisdictional regulat...

Authors: Greg Kawchuk, Jan Hartvigsen, Stan Innes, J. Keith Simpson and Brian Gushaty

Dry needling for spine related disorders: a scoping review

The depth and breadth of research on dry needling (DN) has not been evaluated specifically for symptomatic spine related disorders (SRD) from myofascial trigger points (TrP), disc, nerve and articular structur...

Authors: Matthew F. Funk and Aric J. Frisina-Deyo

A united statement of the global chiropractic research community against the pseudoscientific claim that chiropractic care boosts immunity

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) posted reports claiming that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. These claims clash with recommendations ...

Authors: Pierre Côté, André Bussières, J. David Cassidy, Jan Hartvigsen, Greg N. Kawchuk, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Silvano Mior and Michael Schneider

The Nordic maintenance care program: maintenance care reduces the number of days with pain in acute episodes and increases the length of pain free periods for dysfunctional patients with recurrent and persistent low back pain - a secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

A recent study showed that chiropractic patients had fewer days with bothersome (activity-limiting) low back pain (LBP) when receiving care at regular pre-planned intervals regardless of symptoms (‘maintenance...

Authors: Andreas Eklund, Jan Hagberg, Irene Jensen, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Alice Kongsted, Peter Lövgren, Mattias Jonsson, Jakob Petersen-Klingberg, Christian Calvert and Iben Axén

Words matter: the prevalence of chiropractic-specific terminology on Australian chiropractors’ websites

Chiropractors use words and phrases in unique ways to express traditional, chiropractic-specific theories. This lexicon represents concepts that reinforce the separation of chiropractic from other health care ...

Authors: Kenneth J. Young

BAck complaints in the elders - chiropractic (BACE-C): protocol of an international cohort study of older adults with low back pain seeking chiropractic care

Low back pain is a common condition among older adults that significantly influences physical function and participation. Compared to their younger counterparts, there is limited information available about th...

Authors: Alan D. Jenks, Trynke Hoekstra, Iben Axén, Katie de Luca, Jonathan Field, Dave Newell, Jan Hartvigsen, Simon D. French, Bart Koes, Maurits W. van Tulder and Sidney M. Rubinstein

A cross-sectional study of website claims related to diagnoses and treatment of non-musculoskeletal conditions

The Danish Authorisation Act sets out the chiropractic scope of practice. Under this legislation the scope of practice is diagnostics, prevention and treatment of biomechanical disorders of the spine, pelvis a...

Authors: Rikke Krüger Jensen, Mie Elisa Irgens Agersted, Heike Aaby Nielsen and Søren O’Neill

Potential mechanisms for lumbar spinal stiffness change following spinal manipulative therapy: a scoping review

In individuals having low back pain, the application of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) has been shown to reduce spinal stiffness in those who report improvements in post-SMT disability. The underlying mecha...

Authors: Peter Jun, Isabelle Pagé, Albert Vette and Greg Kawchuk

Life satisfaction and musculoskeletal complaints in a population seeking osteopathy care: consecutive sample of 611 patients

Life satisfaction is a component of the subjective well-being construct. Research consistently suggests that life satisfaction is associated with enhanced social benefits and improved health outcomes. However,...

Authors: Brett Vaughan, Jane Mulcahy, Thomas Allen, Emi Coupe, David Gobbo, Leila Nasser, Karen Pain and Kylie Fitzgerald

The safety of spinal manipulative therapy in children under 10 years: a rapid review

The safety of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in children is controversial. We were mandated by the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia to review the evidence on this issue.

Authors: Melissa Corso, Carol Cancelliere, Silvano Mior, Anne Taylor-Vaisey and Pierre Côté

Effects of manual therapies on stability in people with musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review

Chronic musculoskeletal pain is associated with reduced balance performance and falls risk. Manual therapies are commonly used interventions for musculoskeletal pain. There is emerging evidence that manual the...

Authors: Julie C. Kendall, Dein Vindigni, Barbara I. Polus, Michael F. Azari and Samantha C. Harman

Degenerative findings in lumbar spine MRI: an inter-rater reliability study involving three raters

For diagnostic procedures to be clinically useful, they must be reliable. The interpretation of lumbar spine MRI scans is subject to variability and there is a lack of studies where reliability of multiple deg...

Authors: Klaus Doktor, Tue Secher Jensen, Henrik Wulff Christensen, Ulrich Fredberg, Morten Kindt, Eleanor Boyle and Jan Hartvigsen

What is the effect of spinal manipulation on the pressure pain threshold in young, asymptomatic subjects? A randomized placebo-controlled trial, with a cross-over design

Spinal manipulation (SM) has been shown to have an effect on the pressure pain threshold (PPT) in asymptomatic subjects, but SM has never been compared in studies on this topic to a validated sham procedure. W...

Authors: Margaux Honoré, Mathieu Picchiottino, Niels Wedderkopp, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde and Olivier Gagey

A case-series of patients with musculoskeletal conditions in an underserved community in Moca, Dominican Republic

To describe characteristics and activity limitations of new patients with musculoskeletal conditions presenting to the World Spine Care (WSC) clinic located in the underserved community of Moca, Dominican Repu...

Authors: Sophia da Silva-Oolup, Margareta Nordin, Paula Stern, Geoff Outerbridge and Pierre Côté

So, what is chiropractic? Summary and reflections on a series of papers in Chiropractic and Manual Therapies

This commentary brings the 2017–2019 thematic series What is Chiropractic? to a close. The 18 papers published in the series contribute to a better understanding of what chiropractic is, where chiropractors pract...

Authors: Jan Hartvigsen and Simon D. French

Correction to: Chiropractic maintenance care - what’s new? A systematic review of the literature

After publication of our article [1] the authors have notified us that their names have been incorrectly tagged

Authors: Iben Axén, Lise Hestbaek and Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde

Response to the paper “unraveling functional Neurology: an overview of all published documents by FR Carrick, including a critical review of research articles on its effect or benefit.” by Marine Demortier and Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde

Authors: Frederick Robert Carrick

Unravelling Functional Neurology: an overview of all published documents by FR Carrick, including a critical review of research articles on its effect or benefit

Functional Neurology (FN), founded by FR Carrick, is an approach used by some chiropractors to treat a multitude of conditions via the nervous system including the brain. However, it seems to lack easily obtai...

Authors: Marine Demortier and Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde

Does manual therapy affect functional and biomechanical outcomes of a sit-to-stand task in a population with low back pain? A preliminary analysis

Manual therapy (MT) hypothetically affects discrepant neuromuscular control and movement observed in populations with low back pain (LBP). Previous studies have demonstrated the limited influence of MT on move...

Authors: Giancarlo Carpino, Steven Tran, Stuart Currie, Brian Enebo, Bradley S. Davidson and Samuel J. Howarth

Determinants of health, health behaviours and demographic profile of patients attending an Australian university student-led osteopathy clinic

Profiles of health professions practice can inform pre-professional education, provide evidence to assist with interprofessional practice, and inform policy development. An understanding of the profile of pati...

Authors: Brett Vaughan, Kylie Fitzgerald, Michael Fleischmann and Jane Mulcahy

The effect of a single spinal manipulation on cardiovascular autonomic activity and the relationship to pressure pain threshold: a randomized, cross-over, sham-controlled trial

The autonomic nervous system interacts with the pain system. Knowledge on the effects of high velocity low amplitude spinal manipulations (SM) on autonomic activity and experimentally induced pain is limited. ...

Authors: Mathieu Picchiottino, Margaux Honoré, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Olivier Gagey, François Cottin and David M. Hallman

The prognostic merit of self-reported triggers of recurrent low back pain: study protocol

Most cases of low back pain (LBP) are regarded as non-specific and current studies indicate that for many this is a chronic recurrent condition, in which people experience episodes of pain with symptom-free pe...

Authors: Emad M. Ardakani, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde, Angela Jacques and Bruce F. Walker

Chiropractic treatment of older adults with neck pain with or without headache or dizziness: analysis of 288 Australian chiropractors’ self-reported views

Neck pain is a leading cause of individual and societal burden worldwide, affecting an estimated 1 in 5 people aged 70 years and older. The nature and outcomes of chiropractic care for older adults with neck p...

Authors: Dein Vindigni, Laura Zark, Tobias Sundberg, Matthew Leach, Jon Adams and Michael F. Azari

Professional barriers and facilitators to using stratified care approaches for managing non-specific low back pain: a qualitative study with Canadian physiotherapists and chiropractors

Recent clinical practice guidelines for the management of non-specific low back pain (LBP) recommend using stratified care approaches. To date, no study has assessed barriers and facilitators for health profes...

Authors: Fadi M. AL Zoubi, Simon D. French, Andrea M. Patey, Nancy E. Mayo and André E. Bussières

Potential treatment effect modifiers for manipulative therapy for children complaining of spinal pain.Secondary analyses of a randomised controlled trial

In children, spinal pain is transitory for most, but up to 20% experience recurrent and bothersome complaints. It is generally acknowledged that interventions may be more effective for subgroups of those affec...

Authors: Kristina Boe Dissing, Werner Vach, Jan Hartvigsen, Niels Wedderkopp and Lise Hestbæk

Chiropractic students’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to joining a professional association”

In Australia, about 1 in 3 chiropractors choose not to belong to either of the two professional associations and this is considerably lower compared to other health professional organisations in this country. ...

Authors: Stanley I. Innes, Norman Stomski and Jean Theroux

Correction to: Knowledge of psychosocial factors associated with low back pain amongst health science students: a scoping review

Following publication of the original article [1], we have been notified that one of the author names was incorrect.

Authors: Kelsey L. Lewis and Patrick J. Battaglia

Chiropractic maintenance care - what’s new? A systematic review of the literature

Maintenance Care is a traditional chiropractic approach, whereby patients continue treatment after optimum benefit is reached. A review conducted in 1996 concluded that evidence behind this therapeutic strateg...

Authors: Iben Axén, Lise Hestbaek and Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde

Potential risk factors and triggers for back pain in children and young adults. A scoping review, part II: unclear or mixed types of back pain

Back pain is a global problem in terms of disability and financially, with a large burden both to the individual and to society. Back pain was previously believed to be uncommon in children. However, there is ...

Authors: Amber M Beynon, Jeffrey J Hebert, Charlotte Lebouef-Yde and Bruce F Walker

Potential risk factors and triggers for back pain in children and young adults. A scoping review, part I: incident and episodic back pain

The one-month prevalence of back pain in children and adolescents has been reported at 33, 28 and 48% at ages 9, 13 and 15 respectively. There are many suspected risk factors and triggers of back pain in young...

Authors: Amber M Beynon, Jeffrey J Hebert, Charlotte Lebouef-Yde and Bruce F Walker

Knowledge of psychosocial factors associated with low back pain amongst health science students: a scoping review

Low back pain is a burden worldwide and biological, psychological, and social mechanisms play a role in its development and persistence. Current guidelines support care using the biopsychosocial model. However...

Authors: Kelsey L. Lewis and Patrick J. Battaglia

Outcomes and outcomes measurements used in intervention studies of pelvic girdle pain and lumbopelvic pain: a systematic review

Pelvic girdle pain is a common problem during pregnancy and postpartum with significant personal and societal impact and costs. Studies examining the effectiveness of interventions for pelvic girdle pain measu...

Authors: Francesca Wuytack and Maggie O’Donovan

A failed review of CCE site inspection standards and processes

Accreditation of educational programs involves an independent agency assessing quality against a set of defined standards. Site inspection teams are appointed by an accrediting agency and compile a report with...

Authors: Stanley I. Innes, Charlotte Leboeuf-Yde and Bruce F. Walker

Addition of MoodGYM to physical treatments for chronic low back pain: A randomized controlled trial

Low back pain (LBP) is prevalent, costly and disabling. A biopsychosocial treatment approach involving physical and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is recommended for those with chronic LBP. It is not know...

Authors: M. John Petrozzi, Andrew Leaver, Paulo H. Ferreira, Sidney M. Rubinstein, Mairwen K. Jones and Martin G. Mackey