The topic of clinical effectiveness for spinal manipulation and exercise is extremely timely and relevant to today’s healthcare provider. However, there is one aspect of this topic that continues to confuse both clinicians and patients: namely, how to interpret the mixed messages about the clinical effectiveness of manual therapy and exercise for management of low back and neck pain. There have been multiple systematic reviews of the spinal manipulation literature with conflicting conclusions. The same is true of the literature regarding therapeutic exercise. How then does one justify the use of these treatments?

Being a leader can be one of the most rewarding ways to give back to your community. N. Ray Tuck, Jr., DC, of Christiansburg, Va., has learned the value of being involved through leadership in organizations that share his mission and vision. He has held various national and state positions over the years, including president of both the American Chiropractic Association and the Virginia Chiropractic Association, but his latest post as president of the Virginia Board of Medicine, an integrated board that governs both the medical and chiropractic professions in the state, is a new adventure.

Research evidence suggests following guideline recommendations can improve quality of care and clinical outcomes. However, translating recommendations into clinical care for individuals can be challenging because guidelines, by nature, tend to inform care on a general level. Further complicating guideline adherence is confusion caused by inconsistent terminology and the existence of multiple guidelines for single conditions, among other issues. Inconsistent recommendations within guidelines raises the question, “Is there common ground among guidelines for musculoskeletal conditions?” To answer this question,  researchers identified 11 recommendations that consistently appear within current guidelines. 

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are slated to head  home to their districts and states on July 26. The start of the traditional summer recess comes after, what both parties will tell you, was a less than productive session, leaving several issues unresolved. Nonetheless, in August, members will hold town hall forums, listening sessions and other public events geared toward gauging constituent views and interests. Doctors of chiropractic are especially encouraged to seek out their federal legislators at these public town hall meetings because they are a great way to begin establishing a relationship, or strengthening an existing one, with your lawmaker's office.

For the past year, Drs. Vivian Ly, Danielle Aslan and Jamie Zeman have shared insights and experiences from their chiropractic residencies in the Veterans Administration (VA) healthcare system. This summer, all three are moving on to the next chapter of their careers, but not without some important revelations about patient care, the roll of evidence, and more garnered during their unique educational experiences. 

The Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 3654) is bipartisan legislation championed by ACA and introduced in Congress on July 9 by Reps. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.). The bill would correct a longstanding oversight and give seniors access to the full array of Medicare services that their doctors of chiropractic are qualified and licensed to provide in their respective states.

What do young chiropractic professionals think when they see physicians who are generationally different in thinking and practice than the way they want to practice? Do they have concerns that the established older generation of physicians will not look to them for input on how they want to practice when chiropractic healthcare policies are made? As a profession, how do we reconcile these differences so that our young professionals can have a long and fulfilling life of clinical experiences? ACA President Robert C. Jones, DC, invites you to share your dream of what chiropractic is to you.

Problems involving the hip are some of the most frequently undiagnosed or misdiagnosed conditions. When a patient presents with hip pain, chiropractors immediately consider the most probable culprits—like greater throchanteric pain syndrome and osteoarthritis. But what if the diagnosis is not so straightforward? A new paper by Lee¹ identified the four top undiagnosed causes of hip pain.

The biopsychosocial model is a widely recommended method of clinical evaluation and management. The model identifies three important areas. “Bio” refers to evaluating/treating biological problems (e.g., pathology), “psych” refers to psychological health, and “social” refers to a person’s relationships with others and the environment. However, some evidence suggests that practitioners, as a group, may not be addressing “social” components of health as much as they could.

The healthcare landscape in the United States is rapidly evolving. Population Spine Health Management and other contemporary practice principles are being implemented by hospital systems and physicians nationwide. Author David J. BenEliyahu, DC, who is an administrator of back pain and chiropractic programs at Mather Hospital/Northwell Health in Port Jefferson, N.Y., believes chiropractors should become versed in these contemporary practice principles and consider implementing them into their practices, which will not only improve outcomes but also enhance the progressive identity of the chiropractic profession.