Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association logoLink to The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association
. 2001 Jun;45(2):100–105.

Maintenance care: towards a global description

Jennifer R Jamison, Ronald L Rupert
PMCID: PMC2505035

Abstract

Objective:

To describe and compare maintenance care as practised in the United States and Australia.

Design:

Postal surveys of randomly selected samples of American and Australian chiropractors was undertaken.

Results:

Six hundred and fifty eight American (44%) and 138 Australian (35%) chiropractors returned completed questionnaires. Maintenance care is perceived to reduce recurrences, to maintain optimal health and provide relief for irreversible conditions. Health benefits are largely achieved by providing chiropractic adjustments, exercise and dietary counselling. Maintenance care is perceived to be particularly effective for managing musculoskeletal problems and stress but is also effective for conditions affecting the respiratory, gastro-intestinal, and to a lesser extent cardiovascular and reproductive systems. Respondents believe that maintenance care should be funded by insurance but recognise the need for further research.

Conclusion:

Description of a globally practised form of maintenance care helps to clarify scope of practice issues. More fundamental question of how and whether each of the elements described contributes to a wellness outcome can only be resolved with further research.

Keywords: chiropractic, maintenance care, prevention

Full text

PDF
100

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Brown W. A. Harnessing the placebo effect. Hosp Pract (1995) 1998 Jul 15;33(7):107–116. doi: 10.3810/hp.1998.07.98. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carey T. S., Garrett J. M., Jackman A. M. Beyond the good prognosis. Examination of an inception cohort of patients with chronic low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 2000 Jan;25(1):115–120. doi: 10.1097/00007632-200001010-00019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fjellner A., Bexander C., Faleij R., Strender L. E. Interexaminer reliability in physical examination of the cervical spine. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1999 Oct;22(8):511–516. doi: 10.1016/s0161-4754(99)70002-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. French S. D., Green S., Forbes A. Reliability of chiropractic methods commonly used to detect manipulable lesions in patients with chronic low-back pain. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2000 May;23(4):231–238. doi: 10.1067/mmt.2000.106101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gordon N. P., Sobel D. S., Tarazona E. Z. Use of and interest in alternative therapies among adult primary care clinicians and adult members in a large health maintenance organization. West J Med. 1998 Sep;169(3):153–161. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hawk C., Byrd L., Jansen R. D., Long C. R. Use of complementary healthcare practices among chiropractors in the United States: a survey. Altern Ther Health Med. 1999 Jan;5(1):56–62. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hawk C., Dusio M. E. A survey of 492 U.S. chiropractors on primary care and prevention-related issues. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1995 Feb;18(2):57–64. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hawk C., Meeker W., Hansen D. The National Workshop to Develop the Chiropractic Research Agenda. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1997 Mar-Apr;20(3):147–149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hawk C., Phongphua C., Bleecker J., Swank L., Lopez D., Rubley T. Preliminary study of the reliability of assessment procedures for indications for chiropractic adjustments of the lumbar spine. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1999 Jul-Aug;22(6):382–389. doi: 10.1016/s0161-4754(99)70083-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hestbaek L., Leboeuf-Yde C. Are chiropractic tests for the lumbo-pelvic spine reliable and valid? A systematic critical literature review. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2000 May;23(4):258–275. doi: 10.1067/mmt.2000.106097. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Keating J. C., Jr, Green B. N., Johnson C. D. "Research" and "science" in the first half of the chiropractic century. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1995 Jul-Aug;18(6):357–378. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lamm L. C., Wegner E., Collord D. Chiropractic scope of practice: what the law allows--update 1993. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1995 Jan;18(1):16–20. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mitchell A. Researching healing: a psychologist's perspective. J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Apr;6(2):181–186. doi: 10.1089/acm.2000.6.181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Moerman D. E., Jonas W. B. Toward a research agenda on placebo. Adv Mind Body Med. 2000 Winter;16(1):33–46. doi: 10.1054/ambm.2000.0116. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mootz R. D., Coulter I. D., Hansen D. T. Health services research related to chiropractic: review and recommendations for research prioritization by the chiropractic profession. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1997 Mar-Apr;20(3):201–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Turner J. A., Deyo R. A., Loeser J. D., Von Korff M., Fordyce W. E. The importance of placebo effects in pain treatment and research. JAMA. 1994 May 25;271(20):1609–1614. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association are provided here courtesy of The Canadian Chiropractic Association

RESOURCES