Elderly Back Pain: Comparing Chiropractic to Medical Care

Completed · Phase 2

Conditions studied: Subacute Low Back Pain, Chronic Low Back Pain

In brief

The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical effectiveness of two types of chiropractic spinal manipulation to conservative medical care for patients at least 55 years old with sub-acute or chronic low back pain (LBP).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00602901

Run by

Palmer College of Chiropractic

People needed

240

Starts

2004-07-01

Expected to finish

2007-03-01

Last updated by the study team

2017-04-06

Who can join

Age: 55 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Age 55 or older
• Idiopathic low back pain (LBP) of at least four weeks duration
• Meet the diagnostic classification of 1, 2, or 3 according to the Quebec Task Force on Spinal Disorders

You may not qualify if…

• Low back pain (LBP) not meeting Quebec Task Force Diagnostic Classifications 1, 2 or 3, especially LBP associated with: frank radiculopathy, altered lower extremity reflex, dermatomal sensory deficit, progressive unilateral muscle weakness or motor loss, symptoms of cauda equina compression, and CT or MRI evidence of anatomical pathology (e.g. abnormal disc, lateral or central stenosis.
• Co-morbid conditions or general poor health that could significantly complicate the prognosis of LBP, including pregnancy, bleeding disorders, extreme obesity, and clear evidence of narcotic or other drug abuse.
• Major clinical depression defined as scores greater that 29 on the Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition
• Bone or joint pathology that contraindicate spinal manipulative therapy of joint pathology that contraindicate spinal manipulative therapy of the arthropathies and significant osteoporosis
• Pacemaker, because there are safety issues with equipment used to collect data in the biomechanical testing laboratory
• Current or pending litigation related to current episode of LBP.
• Receiving disability for any health-related condition
• Spinal Manipulative care for any reason within the past month
• Unwilling to postpone use of manual therapies for LBP except those provided in the study for the duration of the study period.
• Unable to read or verbally comprehend English.

Where it is running

• Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research — Davenport, Iowa, United States
• The University of Iowa — Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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