Norwegian hospital offers chiropractic thru the orthopedic department
That’s the main message in this article. However, the authors include their experience in treating 44 patients with sudden and painful low back pain.
Orthopedic surgeons examined the patients and found nothing wrong. Examination by the doctor of chiropractic indicated they had lumbopelvic fixation and proceeded to treat them.
Under the chiropractor’s care the period of sick leave was reduced two-thirds compared to what would be expected with conventional medical treatment.
It’s not clear, based on the information available, what was “expected with conventional medical treatment.” For reference, an article in American Family Physicians states, “At least 60% of patients with acute low back pain return to work within one month, and 90% return within three months.”
Aside from the study results, including chiropractic as part of hospital services brings another option to patients.
2/27/07 20:20 JR
Dr Peter J. Stanton said:
on March 3, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Chiropractic or more specifically “manipulation” can be a great adjunct to physicians treating back pain. I give the Norwegian hospital some credit for giving it a try. There are a few hospitals in the US that have chiros and also about 30 US military facilities that have at least one on staff in a pilot program mandated by congress after years of foot dragging by the military’s medical directors. Too bad for our soldiers in the field that they don’t have them (DCs)stationed in Iraq and Afganistan as back pain is one of the most common problems soldiers complain of.
Despite the benefits of manipulation, I think it is best offered as an outpatient procedure rather than an in patient one. Outpatient procedures are typically much less expensive.
Dr. David Klein said:
on March 4, 2007 at 3:09 pm
In my experience when I was on staff at UCSD Medical School, we would have some people who had been through tens of thousands of dollars of diagnostics, drugs, and checks by the M.D.’s. In this case the treating physicians were sometimes the heads of the departments at the Med School. Then the patient would receive their first adjustment, and literally have a symptom disappear that had been around for decades with a single hundred buck adjustment. We had a few of them cancel back surgeries after that, which would have cost the “system” large, large sums of money.
I would tell anyone who would listen that for a relatively low cost we could have a competent doctor on staff in the hospital, with one room, who did little or no diagnostics, and simply adjusted people all day long after being screened by a physical medicine doctor.
From my understanding that is the model used in the STATIC clinics in Italy.
I think that one chiropractor doing that could save the average hospital managed care group millions of dollars per year. The problem for me has been that so far very few M.D.’s or insurance companies are interested in hearing about this. Two of the great exceptions are discussed in the letter from Dr. Mark Wallace M.D. who has a letter posted on my website, and also Dr. Francesca Toriani who has her interview posted on my website.
JR said:
on March 4, 2007 at 4:58 pm
You can link to Dr. Klein’s website here.
JR