Palmer College of Chiropractic

Chiropractic Research

Research Clinic Studies

Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research:
HRSA-4 (Back Pain: Comparing Chiropractic to Medical Care):
Principal Investigator: Meeker WC
Project Manager:        Hondras MA

Low back pain in persons of advanced age is a significant public health concern, with prevalence ranging from 13-49%. Despite significant impact on quality of life there have been no randomized clinical trials examining medical and chiropractic treatment options. This study will examine a sector of that population with subacute or chronic low back pain, some to be treated by chiropractic care and others with standard medical care. The resulting biomechanical measurements will be utilized to develop hypotheses on how low back pain and manipulative loads affect muscle and joint physiology, especially in this population, and will be applied to the basic and clinical sciences knowledge base in the area of spinal care research. The Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research is partnering with community-based medical physicians and the Departments of Internal Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at The University of Iowa to conduct this study.

Consortial Center for Chiropractic Research
Changes In Paraspinal Muscle Spindle Sensitivity:
Principal Investigator: Pickar JG
Study Coordinator:     Owens: EF

The objective of this study is to acquire data that may provide a rationale for examining proprioceptive mechanisms in a patient population and determine if the mechanical history of cervical paraspinal muscles affects an individual's ability to reposition his/her head. As such, an investigation is being made on the effect of muscle history in the cervical vertebral column to determine if it impacts both cervical posture and intersegmental motion.

Center for the Study of Mechanisms and Effects of Chiropractic Adjustments
U19P3 (Predicting Patient Response to Spinal Manipulation):
This project falls under the umbrella of a 3-year project with other institutions to establish a Multidisciplinary Developmental Center for the study of mechanisms and effects of chiropractic manipulations.

Principal Investigator: Meeker WC
Project Manager:       Hondras MA

Spinal manipulation is a traditional treatment procedure used by chiropractors and other professionals, largely for painful back and neck complaints. Over the past few decades, it has been studied in over 40 randomized clinical trials for low back pain of highly variable quality. While clinical experience and overall trial results suggest that spinal manipulation reduces pain and disability, the specific clinical value of such manipulation remains controversial due to the different forms of manipulative regimens tested, inconsistent results across trials, and large statistical variations in outcomes. The mechanisms underlying spinal manipulation remain obscure. Subgroups of patients may respond, but they have yet to be identified. The aims of this exploratory project are to identify characteristics of low back pain patients who respond clinically to spinal manipulation; to explore pre- and post-treatment changes in selected biomechanical and physiological measurements on patients after a regimen of spinal manipulation; and to biomechanically quantify and characterize the external spinal manipulation loads applied to patients undergoing spinal manipulation treatment. The resulting data will add to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of spinal manipulation and its appropriate clinical role. This collaborative study with the University of Iowa is part of a 3-year project with other institutions to establish a Multidisciplinary Developmental Center for the study of mechanisms and effects of chiropractic manipulations.
 
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