Astudy published in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has raised serious questions about the efficacy of spinal manipulation treatment.
“There is little evidence that spinal manipulation is effective in the treatment of any medical condition,” said Professor Edzard Ernst of the Peninsula Medical School at Exeter.
“The findings are of concern because chiropractors and osteopaths are regulated by statute in the UK. “Patients and the public at large perceive regulation as proof of the usefulness of treatment. Yet the findings presented here show a gap and contradiction between the effectiveness of intervention and the evidence.”
Professor Ernst’s paper examined all systematic reviews published on spinal manipulation between 2000 and May 2005. Sixteen papers were included in the research relating to the following conditions: back pain, neck pain, primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea, infantile colic, asthma, allergy and cervicogenic dizziness.
