Here are the top 10 chiropractic research studies of 2013.
1. Immediate Benefits of Chiropractic Visible on MRI: For the first time, researchers used MRI to document changes in spinal gapping immediately after a chiropractic adjustment.
2. AMA Recommends Chiropractic Before Resorting to Surgery: The Journal of the American Medical Association released new guidelines for back pain treatment that encouraged patients to seek chiropractic and physical therapy before resorting to surgery.
3. Chiropractic as Effective as Epidural Injections for Lumbar Disc Herniation: Patients with lumbar disc herniation were randomly assigned to receive either nerve root injections or chiropractic care. Overall, 76% of chiropractic patients reported feeling “better” or “much better” after treatment compared to just 62.5% of injection patients.
4. Chiropractic Lowers Blood Pressure: Hypertensive patients had reduced diastolic blood pressure readings after receiving chiropractic adjustments in a new study.
5. Chiropractic Best Option for SI Joint Pain: Chiropractic care was better than physical therapy or injections of corticosteroids for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
6. Neck Adjustments Immediately Improve Joint Position Sense: Cervical manipulation was shown to improve joint position sense, which could assist in improving mobility in patients with neck pain.
7. Chiropractic Better than Medical Care Alone for Back Pain: Military personnel with back pain had a significantly better chance of recovery when they received a combined treatment of chiropractic and medical care, compared to those who only received medical care.
8. Spinal Adjustments Relieve Muscle Pain Instantly: Patients with myofascial pain experienced immediate improvements in pressure pain thresholds after receiving chiropractic adjustments.
9. Cervical Disc Herniation Eased by Chiropractic: A study of patients with cervical radiculopathy showed that 85% experienced significant reductions in pain and disability after receiving chiropractic care for three months.
10. Chiropractic Thaws Frozen Shoulder Syndrome: Patients had a 78% improvement in pain after receiving chiropractic care for frozen shoulder syndrome. In another study of patients treated with manipulation under anesthesia, patients had significant reductions in nighttime pain and shoulder stiffness.