A growing number of chiropractors in the United States are answering a call to provide their services for free to returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The idea for free services was initiated in April by a chiropractor in Houston, Texas, and promoted by the International Chiropractors Association (ICA). Very quickly, 70 chiropractors from around the U.S. volunteered their services to be part of the program and the list continues to grow.

Basically, participating chiropractors are volunteering their expertise to help returning veterans for free for a period of one year following their tour of duty. While a limited number of Chiropractic services are provided through the US Department of Defense, volunteers are able to provide immediate treatments. This brings quick relief to individuals who are either being rotated back to the U.S for stateside deployment or returning to civilian life.

Houston chiropractor, Richard J. Kelly is the initiator of what is becoming a nationwide effort to help returning members of our armed services. “Our military, our returning veterans, whether visibly wounded or free of outward symptoms, are coming home changed and need our help as chiropractors,” said Dr. Kelly. He began by offering his services to returning service people in his own practice. He found his work to be very positively received by the veterans as well as gratifying for him to provide.

One of the most common concerns expressed by returning veterans is lower back pain. This would be quite expected considering that ground force members in Iraq frequently carry over 100 pounds of equipment. One helicopter pilot who has done 2 tours of duty in Iraq had this to say about his symptoms. “I definitely have a lot of back pain, lower back especially, and neck pain was the biggest one I noticed.”

While any chiropractor can participate, the ICA is actively promoting the concept of free veterans care to its 8,000-some members. “We want to help volunteer doctors reach out to the returning veteran population in a spirit of service in the most clinically sound, ethically based and timely manner,” said Robert N. Pohtos who is the executive director of the ICA.

The services of a chiropractor often reach beyond the repair of physical injury to help a person restore their lives. What person needs this type of treatment and deserves it more than a veteran returning from the field of battle or who has faced the tribulations of war?

Source: The International Chiropractors Association, “Chiropractic Care for Returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Now Available through Growing Volunteer

DC Network.” http://www.chiropractic.org/files/returning_vets_052708.pdf and Kid Chiropractic. “Chiropractors offer Free Care to Returning US Veterans.” www.kidchiropractic.com.

A recent study published by the 

British Medical Journal assessed the cost  effectiveness of Chiropractic with other modes of treatment.

One hundred eighty-three patients who suffered with neck pain for a two- week period participated in the study. The patients, aged 18 to 70-years-old, were divided into three groups. Sixty patients received Chiropractic adjustments; 59 received physiotherapy and 64 were treated by a general practitioner.

After seven weeks, more patients in the Chiropractic group reported “complete recovery” than patients in either of the other groups — 68% recovered in the Chiropractic group; 51% recovered in the physiotherapy group, and only 36% in the general practitioner group recovered.

Six months after the study concluded, researchers found that treatments costs were also significantly lower for patients who received Chiropractic care. Chiropractic care cost one-third less than the other two treatments — $402; care from the general practitioner cost $1,241 and Physiotherapy cost $1,167.

Nine of 10 Americans suffer from headaches either occasionally or daily; 45 million suffer chronic, recurring headaches. It’s estimated that 20% of children and adolescents suffer from significant headaches, some of which cause debilitating pain and nausea. Research has shown that Chiropractic care is effective in treating tension headaches, as well as headaches that originate in the neck.

In 1991, researchers from Duke University found that Chiropractic adjustments resulted in almost immediate improvement for headaches that originated in the neck, as well as having fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief than common prescription medicine.

In 1995, the

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics,   also reported that Chiropractic effectively relieved tension headaches, more so than drug treatment.

Research has also indicated that nearly 5% of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems, whereas 95% are tension, migraine or cluster headaches and are not triggered disease, but by muscle tension in the neck.

The American Chiropractors Association offers the following recommendations to reduce the risk of headaches:

• If you spend a lot of time in one position (sitting in front of a computer) take breaks every 30 minutes to one hour in order to stretch.

• Low impact exercise, such as walking and low-impact aerobics, may help relieve the pain of primary headaches.

• Avoid clenching teeth, as this stress on the jaw contributes to tension headaches.

• Drink at least eight 8 ounce glasses of water each day to prevent dehydration. Avoid caffeine, salty and sugary foods and avoid drinking alcoholic beverages.

Chiropractic adjustments are a recommended and proven treatment option, as it improves spinal function and alleviates stress on your system.

Automobile drivers in the United States are involved in over 5 million auto accidents each year. As a result, over 2 million people annually suffer from some form of injury as a result of the crash. Whiplash is the most common injury received by an accident victim.

A history of disappointing results in the treatment of whiplash patients throughout the medical profession has lead researchers to further investigate

the benefits of Chiropractic in victim care. The study published in the 

Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine points out the superiority of Chiropractic care for

whiplash patients and examines the type of injuries which might best  respond.

Whiplash injury involves the sudden movement of the head in any direction. The result is that muscles and ligaments supporting the spine can become strained or torn. Some symptoms include neck pain or stiffness, pain between the shoulder blades, blurred vision, fatigue, headache, and dizziness, just to name a few.

This study was designed to determine which patients with chronic whiplash  could benefit from Chiropractic intervention. One hundred Chiropractic referrals for chronic whiplash symptoms formed the study groups.

Group 1 members were those with radiating neck pain and restricted neck movement but no apparent nerve damage. Group 2 had symptoms of nerve damage associated with neck pain and restricted motion. Group 3 members had severe neck pain and restricted motion, plus had more serious symptoms including blackouts, vision problems, nausea, vomiting, and chest pain. Each person received an average of 19 treatments over a 4 month period.

Excellent improvements were seen in the first two groups. In Group 1, 72% of the patients gained “some benefit” with symptoms disappearing completely for 24%. Group 2 had 94% responding positively with symptoms disappearing completely for 38%. Only Group 3, the group with the most severe whiplash problems, showed only 27% improvement.

Researchers concluded that Chiropractic provided superior care in treating whiplash patients. “The results from this study provide further evidence that Chiropractic is an effective treatment for chronic whiplash symptoms,” the researchers said. Pointing to the results in Group 3, they emphasized that a careful history and physical exam be done on all patients before treatment is commenced.

The Chiropractic profession recently received some very good news from an extensive 7-year study that focused on the neck region and on neck pain. The news had to do with study findings regarding Chiropractic adjustments and stroke. This comprehensive study determined that people who visit chiropractors for a neck adjustment are no more likely to suffer a stroke than when treated by members of any other medical profession.

This long-term study was mainly conducted to find the very best information and techniques available to help patients who suffer neck pain. The aim was also to provide healthcare professionals with the very best research evidence to help diagnose, treat, manage and prevent neck pain. The research was conducted by the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders with results published in the journal Spine. A multi-national and inter-disciplinary study team included Canadian,
American, South American, Australian and European researchers.

As part of its research initiative, the team launched a study into the association between Chiropractic care of the neck and stroke. This was a particularly important piece of research as chiropractors in several states have come under attack from groups who are running media and Internet campaigns suggesting that Chiropractic is dangerous and that adjustments can cause stokes.

The innovative piece of research that was recently concluded found that patients who visit a chiropractor are no more likely to experience a stroke than are patients who visit their family physician. The type of stroke in question generally begins with a headache or with neck pain. This causes the patient to seek care from a chiropractor or a family physician to obtain relief. Generally, this office visit occurs before a stroke fully develops.

“This type of stroke is extremely rare and has been known to occur spontaneously or after ordinary neck movements such as looking up at the sky or over the shoulder when backing a car,” said the lead author of the study Dr. David Cassidy, professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto and senior scientist at the University of Health Network at Toronto Western Hospital.

This study provides excellent news and ammunition for chiropractors and Chiropractic organizations who have become the target of attacks from special interest groups who are suggesting that Chiropractic is dangerous and that Chiropractic adjustments cause strokes.

According to this landmark study, this is just not true, and chiropractors and Chiropractic patients can use the information from this research to learn about and to demonstrate the safety of Chiropractic adjustments.

SOURCE: Bone and Joint Decade Task Force. Press Release, “Seven-Year Neck Pain Study Sheds Light on Best Care,” February 2008.

Automobile drivers in the United States are involved in over 5 million auto accidents each year. As a result, over 2 million people annually suffer from some form of injury as a result of the crash. Whiplash is the most common injury received by an accident victim.

A history of disappointing results in the treatment of whiplash patients throughout the medical profession has lead researchers to further investigate the benefits of Chiropractic in victim care. The study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine points out the superiority of Chiropractic care for whiplash patients and examines the type of injuries which might best respond.

Whiplash injury involves the sudden movement of the head in any direction. The result is that muscles and ligaments supporting the spine can become strained or torn. Some symptoms include neck pain or stiffness, pain between the shoulder blades, blurred vision, fatigue, headache, and dizziness, just to name a few.

This study was designed to determine which patients with chronic whiplash could benefit from Chiropractic intervention. One hundred Chiropractic referrals for chronic whiplash symptoms formed the study groups.

Group 1 members were those with radiating neck pain and restricted neck movement but no apparent nerve damage. Group 2 had symptoms of nerve damage associated with neck pain and restricted motion. Group 3 members had severe neck pain and restricted motion, plus had more serious symptoms including blackouts, vision problems, nausea, vomiting, and chest pain.

Each person received an average of 19 treatments over a 4 month period. Excellent improvements were seen in the first two groups. In Group 1, 72% of the patients gained “some benefit” with symptoms disappearing completely for 24%. Group 2 had 94% responding positively with symptoms disappearing completely for 38%. Only Group 3, the group with the most severe whiplash problems, showed only 27% improvement.

Researchers concluded that Chiropractic provided superior care in treating whiplash patients. “The results from this study provide further evidence that Chiropractic is an effective treatment for chronic whiplash symptoms,” the researchers said. Pointing to the results in Group 3, they emphasized that a careful history and physical exam be done on all patients before treatment is commenced.

Source: Dynamic Chiropractic http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/18/01/19.html

A 2003 study published by the British Medical Journal assessed the cost effectiveness of Chiropractic with other modes of treatment. 183 patients who suffered with neck pain for a two-week period participated in the study. The patients, aged 18 to 70-years-old, were divided into three groups. 60 patients
received Chiropractic adjustments; 59 received physiotherapy and 64 were treated by a general practitioner.

After seven weeks, more patients in the Chiropractic group reported “complete recovery” than patients in either of the other groups — 68% recovered in the Chiropractic group; 51% recovered in the physiotherapy group, and only 36% in the general practitioner group recovered.

Chiropractic Costs Less Than Other Treatment Options

Six months after the study concluded, researchers found that treatments costs were also significantly lower for patients who received Chiropractic care. Chiropractic care cost one-third less than the other two
treatments — $402; care from the general practitioner cost $1,241 and Physiotherapy cost $1,167.

SOURCE: British Medical Journal, April 26, 2003; To Your Health Newsletter, November 4, 2003.