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For over 10 years, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress has
included chiropractic services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, or VA, as part of the approved medical benefits package offered to all
enrolled veterans. A recent study organized by researchers from the VA Connecticut
Healthcare System and published in the Journal of Manipulative and
Physiological Therapeutics, the handling of chiropractic services and the
chiropractic workforce in VA has grown significantly since their introduction
over a decade ago. The yearly number of chiropractic visits has expanded by
nearly 700 percent, hence showing an increase in veteran’s access to
chiropractic care.
The lead author of the study, Anthony J. Lisi, DC, Director
of the VA Chiropractic Program and Chiropractic Section Chief at the VA Connecticut
Healthcare System made a statement on the progressive and significant increase of
chiropractic service utilization by the VA each year after its introduction in
late 2004. Additionally, as stated by Anthony J. Lisi, Veterans Affairs’ chiropractic
care includes evidence-based medicine and patient-centered care, among other
treatment options which are highly requested by veterans and referring
providers. VA will persist to guarantee a proper access to chiropractic care across
the complete system, and as the study reports, it’s advancement today has been
extraordinary.
Throughout the numerous findings among an 11-year period,
the study concluded that the number of individuals treated in Veterans Affairs
clinics increased by 821 percent in a year, the number of chiropractic visits expanded
by 693 percent in a year, the total number of VA chiropractic clinics escalated
9 percent in a year as well as the number of chiropractic employees, increasing
by 21 percent in a year. Finally, the study also confirmed that the average VA
chiropractic patient is male, between the ages of 45 and 64, and generally
receives diagnosis, chiropractic spinal adjustments and manual manipulations,
as well as other health care services focused on low back and/or neck injuries
or conditions.
According to Co-Author Cynthia A. Brandt, MD, MPH, Health
Services Researcher at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System and
Professor at Yale University School of Medicine, chiropractic care is an
essential element towards treating spinal pain and discomfort caused by injury
or underlying conditions in veterans.
The results of the study revealed the Veterans Affairs’
chiropractic clinics attended a leading percentage of female and younger
individuals correlated with the national VA outpatient percentage. Furthermore,
the study demonstrated a consistent demographic relation with the veterans from
the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, well-known for its high percentage
of diagnosed musculoskeletal conditions.
Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president, F4CP, recognized
through the study that the amplified use of chiropractic treatment among
veterans for symptom management and other health complications, especially by
veterans in the Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation
New Dawn, and older adult populations, demonstrates the definitive demand for
chiropractic care. This is a sincere observation of the improved clinical
outcomes and high patient satisfaction scores that have been recorded in detail
prior to the study. Sherry McAllister continued by praising Veterans Affairs
for its assistance throughout various continuing chiropractic research in order
to further assist as well as enhance the health and well-being of many
respected and valued veterans.
The authors of the study also declared that the development
in VA chiropractic use had taken place without added laws authorizing an
extension. This suggests an increasing recognition of the value of chiropractic
care in Veterans Affairs. In a recent report, David J. Shulkin, MD, VA Under
Secretary for Health, specified VA’s chiropractic program as an example of the
essential medical option supported for veterans.
Doctors of Chiropractic, DCs, who obtain a minimum of seven
years of higher level education, contribute non-operative management of
injuries of conditions, such as pain on the joints, back pain, neck pain, or
headaches, through the utilization of manual techniques and active
rehabilitation, such as chiropractic spinal adjustments, manual manipulations,
and occasionally, recommending a series of stretches and exercises appropriate
to each individual. Chiropractic treatments are combined with primary care,
specialty clinics and rehabilitation, as well as supply a non-pharmacologic
option for symptoms management, general health, and wellness concerns for
veterans and the overall population alike.
By Dr. Alex Jimenez
