Quality of chiropractic research of upper extremity conditions
Most publications are anecdotal case histories.
Readers weigh in, and I respond.
First, the details.
- Researchers reviewed the medical literature for terms: chiropractic, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, forearm, and arm, with MeSH terms for each region.
- The resulting articles were assessed for quality.
And, the results.
- 64 articles were found.
- Mostly case reports
- 36 case reports for the shoulder
- 8 case reports for the elbow
- 14 case reports for the wrist/hand
- 6 clinical studies (3 shoulder, 1 elbow 2 wrist)
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “There is a small amount of chiropractic research into upper limb conditions.” What evidence is available is comprised mostly of “case studies (level 4 evidence) and a small number of higher-level publications (level 1-3 evidence).”
Most treatments address both spinal and peripheral structures, using joint and soft tissue methods.
“There is a need for … higher-level evidence, in particular, randomized controlled trials for the chiropractic treatment of upper limb conditions.”
Question: don’t schools of chiropractic require their faculty to conduct clinical research? Or is this type of research considered a low priority among chiropractic opinion leaders?
4/6/08 14:26 JR
