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Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Shares Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Chronic Pain in VHA and Beyond

Chiropractic care in the Veterans’ Administration healthcare system is legislated and expanding. How chiropractic benefits the VA system and its patrons, the veterans, could show how chiropractic’s inclusion in more healthcare systems may benefit a wider population. Recent papers highlight chiropractic’s benefits. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation shares these with our Carrolltown 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 care of chronic pain. US healthcare systems face barriers to such implementation 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 seek 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 add the recommended non-pharmacological treatment modalities to benefit their patients. (1) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is excited to see the inclusion of chiropractic treatment in the VHA to help the many musculoskeletal and chronic pain patients it serves.

MORE USE OF CHIROPRACTIC NPM IN VHA BUT USE IS STILL LOW

Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation hopes to see use of chiropractic services expand. From 2005 to 2016 there was an increase in chiropractic care use – part of the VA’s efforts to increase non-pharmacological treatment options available 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) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is honored to care for a bit larger percentage of Carrolltown healthcare seeking patients.  

CHIROPRACTIC’S EFFECT ON QUALITY OF LIFE

There is a reason patients seek out and continue to receive chiropractic care: they notice a difference. A recent study focused on how chiropractic care added to 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 three different questionnaires: PROMIS-29, Roland Morris, and Global Improvement visual analog scale, the same or similar tests used daily in chiropractic offices everywhere. Researchers found a statistically significant mean group difference in favor of the usual medical care plus chiropractic care group versus usual medical care alone. (3) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation witnesses this, too, and collaborates with medical colleagues to help our patients.

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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 with the Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Carrolltown chiropractic appointment today. 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 Carrolltown healthcare grows.

 
Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation shares recent reports of benefits of chiropractic inclusion in the Veteran’s Health System and how it could model inclusion in other healthcare systems beneficially. 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."