Top 14 Chiropractic Studies of 2014

Last year's Top 10 Chiropractic Studies of 2013 was overwhelmingly popular, so we've compiled a list of this year's best studies in scientific literature that demonstrate the benefits of chiropractic.

Here are the top 14 of 2014 for you to share with your patients!

1. Chiropractic Adjustments Boost Antioxidant Levels
This fascinating study found that people with back or neck pain had a significant increase in blood serum antioxidant levels after receiving chiropractic care.

2. Chiropractic Care Keeps Seniors Mobile and Active
This is a really great study that looked at Medicare recipients who received chiropractic care, and compared them to non-chiropractic patients. The study found that chiropractic had a "protective effect," safeguarding them from physical deterioration.

3. Chiropractic is Safe and Effective for Back Pain During Pregnancy
This study states that 85% of pregnant women reported relief from back pain after receiving chiropractic adjustments.

4. Chiropractic Reduces Herniated Disc Pain
This study provided chiropractic adjustments to 148 patients who had been diagnosed with a herniated disc. Eighty-eight percent of patients reported pain relief even up to six-months after treatment.

5. Chiropractic Boosts Recovery from Ankle Sprains
This study from South Africa compared chiropractic therapy plus rehabilitation to rehabilitation alone. It found that the chiropractic patients had a quicker recovery and less pain than the exercise-only group.

6. Chiropractic Eases Back-Related Leg Pain
Leg pain is a common symptom that some back pain patients experience. This 2014 study, in the Annals of Internal Medicine, finds that chiropractic adjustments with home exercises have a "clinically important advantage” over exercises alone for this type of pain.

7. Benefits of On-Site Chiropractic Care for Workers
Published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, this study examined on-site [in the workplace] versus off-site chiropractic care provided to workers. It determined that the on-site chiropractic care resulted in lower healthcare utilization rates.

8. Spinal Manipulation Alters Pain and Stress Hormones
Researchers from Spain looked at blood serum levels of thirty test subjects before and after adjustments of the spine, and compared them to people who did not receive adjustments. They found that adjustments altered neuropeptides associated with pain and stress.

9. Chiropractic Less Expensive than Medical Care
This review of the scientific literature concluded that chiropractic care had an "economic advantage" over medical care for musculoskeletal pain.

10. Chiropractic Safer than Medical Care for Elderly
This study, published in the prestigious medical journal Spine, found that Medicare patients who saw a chiropractor for musculoskeletal pain had a 76% lower rate of injury compared to medical patients.

11. Chiropractic Effective for Patients with Spinal Degeneration
This study, published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, found that men with spinal disc degenerative disease benefited from chiropractic adjustments.

12. Chiropractic Best Option for Acute Back Pain
Another study in the journal, Spine, found that people with acute back pain were provided better pain relief with chiropractic adjustments than with medical care.

13. Chiropractic Relieves Neck Pain in Senior Citizens
This study, from The Spine Journal, found that chiropractic worked better than home exercises for older patients who were suffering from neck pain.

14. Chiropractic Helps Athletes Jump Higher After Ankle Injury
This small, pilot study from Sweden found that athletes who were recovering from an ankle injury had better jump performance after receiving chiropractic adjustments.

References:

1. Kolberg C, Horst A, Moraes MS, et al. Peripheral oxidative stress blood markers in patients with chronic back or neck pain treated with high-velocity, low-amplitude manipulation. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;Dec doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.11.003
2. Weigel PAM, Hockenberry JM, Wolinsky FD. Chiropractic use in the Medicare Population: prevalence, patterns, and associations with 1-year changes in health and satisfaction with care. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37:542-551.
3. Peterson CK, Mühlemann D, Humphreys BK. Outcomes of pregnant patients with low back pain undergoing chiropractic treatment: a prospective cohort study with short term, medium term and 1 year follow-up. Chiropractic and Manual Therapies 2014;22(1):15.
4. Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, et al. Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging – confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(3);155-163.
5. Lubbe D, Lakhani E, Brantingham JW, et al. Manipulative therapy and rehabilitation for recurrent ankle sprain. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2014 Nov 6. pii: S0161-4754(14)00204-8.
6. Bronfort G, Hondras MA, Schulz CA, et al. Spinal manipulation and home exercise with advice for subacute and chronic back-related leg pain. Annals of Internal Medicine 2014;161:381-391.
7. Kindermann SL, Hou Q, Miller RM. Impact of chiropractic services at an on-site health center. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2014;56(9):990-992.
8. Plaza-Manzano G, Molina F, Lomas-Vega R, et al. Changes in biochemical markers of pain perception and stress response after spinal manipulation. Journal Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy 2014;44(4):231-9.
9. Tsertsvadze A, Clar C, Court R, et al. Cost-effectiveness of manual therapy for the management of musculoskeletal conditions: a systematic review and narrative synthesis of evidence from randomized controlled trials. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37:343-362.
10. Whedon JM, Mackenzie TA, Phillips RB, Lurie JD. Risk of traumatic injury associated with chiropractic spinal manipulation. Spine 2014;Dec 9.
11. Vieira-Pellenz F, Oliva-Pascual-Vaca A, Rodriquez-Blanco C, et al. Short-term effect of spinal manipulation on pain perception, spinal mobility, and full height recovery in male subjects with degenerative disk disease: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2014;95:1613-19.
12. Schneider M, Haas M, Glick R, Stevans J, Landsittel D. A comparison of spinal manipulation methods and usual medical care for acute and sub-acute low back pain: a randomized clinical trial. Spine 2014;Nov 21.
13. Maiers M, Bronfort G, Evans R, et al. Spinal manipulative therapy and exercise for seniors with chronic neck pain. Spine Journal 2014;14(9):1879-1889.
14. Hedlund S, Nilsson H, Lenz M, Sundberg T. Effect of chiropractic manipulation on vertical jump height in young female athletes with talocrural joint dysfunction: a single-blinded randomized clinical pilot trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2014;37(2):116-23.