Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries Shares Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Chronic Pain in VHA and Beyond
Chiropractic care in the Veterans’ Administration healthcare system is legally called for inclusion and growing. How chiropractic benefits the VA system and its patrons, the veterans, could show how chiropractic’s inclusion in more healthcare systems may benefit the larger population. Recent papers highlight chiropractic’s benefits. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries shares these with our Manchester chiropractic patients who already feel many of these benefits!
CHRONIC PAIN HELP IN VHA
Non-pharmacological treatment modalities (NPM) are endorsed via consensus guideline recommendations for chronic pain management. US healthcare systems encounter barriers to such incorporation of such NPM except in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) which is a more integrated healthcare system with policies encouraging such NPM. In surveys, the military veteran-patients who look for care in the VHA system are disproportionately impacted by chronic pain. Chronic pain-afflicted veterans who sought care at the VHA in the past year were more likely to get NPM. Types of NPM offered range from physical therapy, massage, chiropractic/spinal manipulation, psychotherapy, educational classes, peer groups, and yoga/tai chi. The top 3 used by chronic pain veterans were chiropractic care, educational class, or psychotherapy. The VHA policies can help other integrated US healthcare systems incorporate the recommended non-pharmacological treatment modalities to benefit their patients. (1) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is excited to see the inclusion of chiropractic treatment in the VHA to care for the many musculoskeletal and chronic pain patients it serves.
HIGHER USE OF CHIROPRACTIC NPM IN VHA BUT USE IS STILL LOW
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries hopes to witness use of chiropractic services expand. From 2005 to 2016 there was an increase in chiropractic care use – part of the VA’s efforts to expand non-pharmacological treatment options open to veterans - in the VA either at on-site VA facilities (1.27% to 1.48%) or from VA-purchased community care providers (0.29% to 1.76%). These numbers did increase but are low compared to use by other US healthcare chiropractic-using populations. (2) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is honored to care for a bit larger proportion of Manchester healthcare seeking patients.
CHIROPRACTIC’S EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE
There is a reason patients look for and continue to receive chiropractic care: they notice a difference. A new study focused on how chiropractic care enhanced usual medical care affected health-related quality of life scores. United States service members at the VHA who underwent combined chiropractic care with usual medical care rated their outcomes in a variety of questionnaires: PROMIS-29, Roland Morris, and Global Improvement visual analog scale, the same or comparable tests used daily in chiropractic practices everywhere. Researchers documented a statistically significant mean group difference in favor of the usual medical care plus chiropractic care group versus usual medical care alone. (3) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries witnesses this, too, and collaborates with medical colleagues to help our patients.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Katrina Weiland on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes treatment of a US Air Force Veteran with a herniated disc and severe low back pain via the Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Manchester chiropractic appointment soon. Including chiropractic care benefits chronic pain patients whether they have low back, neck, leg, arm or other spine-related pain condition. Chiropractic’s inclusion in Manchester healthcare grows.
