Another Controversial Canadian Whiplash Study - Chiropractic Treatment for Whiplash

Another Controversial Canadian Whiplash Study
Jul 30, 2007
by Farabaugh, Ronald J
Dynamic Chiropractic
FindArticles.com

CCGPP Issues Formal Response

Recently, a study supported by Health Canada, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario, and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research1 was released concerning whiplash injury and the results of early intervention. The conclusion of the study would lead one to believe that virtually any treatment would not only be ineffective, but actually delay recovery.

The conclusions presented by the authors of the Canadian study will be debated for years, and more research is needed concerning whiplash/soft-tissue injury. In the meantime, we are very concerned about the potential inappropriate reaction of the third-party-payor industry to this isolated study, which could adversely affect patient care.

We wish to remind all physicians, patients and the insurance industry that authorization or denial of care should never be based upon the results of a singular piece of evidence, especially one that is so contradictory to the clinical experience of tens of thousands of practicing physicians. Additionally, significant literature exists pertaining to both the benefits of joint mobility and the deleterious effects of joint immobility. Our main concern lies with the potential for acute pain patients to be undertreated, based upon the recommendations of this study, allowing their conditions to develop into a chronic pain state, resulting in unnecessary ...