ON Chiropractic
My uncle recently passed away due to a cascade of events begun by a fall in
a parking lot. Understandably the study of falls prevention in older adults has
become of greater interest. I was fortunate to be part of large interdisciplinary
team that recently reviewed over 300 randomized controlled trials aimed
at preventing falls to see what strategies were most helpful to older adults,
including suggestions to foster interprofessional care. Thirty-nine different
strategies were compared across 150,000 older adults with one standout
approach: to recommend various combinations of exercise tailored to
patients’ functional limitations to prevent future devastating consequences.
Dr. John J. Riva on Comparisons of Interventions for Preventing Falls in
Older Adults 1
The opioid crisis and the role chiropractors play to help reduce opioid use
among patients suffering from MSK disorders is an interest of mine. As
chiropractors continue to integrate in the public health care system, the
guideline provides evidence-based direction to physicians and other primary
care providers, including the optimization of non-opioid therapies like spinal
manipulation. The positive implications are: patients can receive safer and
more effective care, and the credibility of chiropractors is enhanced. The
relevance and scope of the guideline and its recommendations position
chiropractors as vital contributors to the conversation about MSK pain along
with medical providers and policy makers.
Dr. Peter Emary on Guideline for Opioid Therapy and Chronic
Non-cancer Pain 2
This seminal series is a ‘call to action’ on how low back pain (LBP) is
perceived, assessed and treated worldwide. There seems to be collective,
global agreement that the current model of care for LBP is not sustainable,
and these papers have convincingly exposed the gap in evidence-based
practice. Importantly, they have also illuminated a way forward. We are at the
confluence of increased public awareness of the burden of MSK conditions
(including LBP), enhanced research support for what we can do for patients,
and a pain crisis that will not be solved with more opioids. The three papers on
LBP in The Lancet Series are the type of evidence-based research that benefits
the profession.
Dr. Shawn Thistle on The Lancet, Low Back Pain Series 3,4,5,6
www.chiropractic.on.ca
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