Abstract
BackgroundLow back pain is highly prevalent and one of the most common causes of disability in U.S. armed forces personnel. Currently, no single therapeutic method has been established as a gold standard treatment for this increasingly prevalent condition. One commonly used treatment, which has demonstrated consistent positive outcomes in terms of pain and function within a civilian population is spinal manipulative therapy provided by doctors of chiropractic. Chiropractic care, delivered within a multidisciplinary framework in military healthcare settings, has the potential to help improve clinical outcomes for military personnel with low back pain. However, its effectiveness in a military setting has not been well established. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate changes in pain and disability in active duty service members with low back pain who are allocated to receive usual medical care plus chiropractic care versus treatment with usual medical care alone.Methods/designThis pragmatic comparative effectiveness trial will enroll 750 active duty service members with low back pain at three military treatment facilities within the United States (250 from each site) who will be allocated to receive usual medical care plus chiropractic care or usual medical care alone for 6 weeks. Primary outcomes will include the numerical rating scale for pain intensity and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire at week 6. Patient reported outcomes of pain, disability, bothersomeness, and back pain function will be collected at 2, 4, 6, and 12 weeks from allocation.DiscussionBecause low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability among U.S. military personnel, it is important to find pragmatic and conservative treatments that will treat low back pain and preserve low back function so that military readiness is maintained. Thus, it is important to evaluate the effects of the addition of chiropractic care to usual medical care on low back pain and disability.Trial registrationThe trial discussed in this article was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the NCT01692275 Date of registration: 6 September 2012
Highlights
Low back pain is highly prevalent and one of the most common causes of disability in U.S armed forces personnel
It is important to evaluate the effects of the addition of chiropractic care to usual medical care on low back pain and disability
We will evaluate the effects of the addition of chiropractic care to usual medical care (UMC) on Low back pain (LBP) pain and disability
Summary
Low back pain is highly prevalent and one of the most common causes of disability in U.S armed forces personnel. Chiropractic care, delivered within a multidisciplinary framework in military healthcare settings, has the potential to help improve clinical outcomes for military personnel with low back pain. Low back pain (LBP) is well recognized as a prevalent and burdensome health problem in both military and civilian populations [1, 2]. It is one of the most common reasons why members of the U.S armed forces seek medical care [3, 4]. Development of a more effective, early treatment that prevents chronicity and reduces recurrence is likely to mitigate some of the deleterious effects of LBP on individuals and the military healthcare system
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