Military Medicine

Acupuncture Tops Sham for Easing PTSD in Combat Veterans

— Large treatment effect observed for clinical and biological measures of combat-related PTSD by Shannon Firth, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today February 22, 2024 Acupuncture outperformed “sham” needling in clinical and biological measures of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans, a prospective randomized trial showed. In the intention-to-treat analysis, there was a large treatment effect […]

Complementary and Integrative Health Approaches and Pain Care Quality in the Veterans Health Administration Primary Care Setting: A Quasi-Experimental Analysis

J Integr Complement Med. 2023 Mar 27. doi: 10.1089/jicm.2022.0686. Ling Han Abstract Background: Complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches have been recommended in national and international clinical guidelines for chronic pain management. We set out to determine whether exposure to CIH approaches is associated with pain care quality (PCQ) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) […]

A Systems Approach for Assessing Low Back Pain Care Quality in Veterans Health Administration Chiropractic Visits: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics VOLUME 46, ISSUE 3, P171-181, MARCH 2023 Ryan D. Muller, DC, MS Published: December 22, 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2023.11.002 Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to explore a systemwide process for assessing components of low back pain (LBP) care quality in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) chiropractic visits using electronic health […]

Non-pharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain in US Veterans Treated Within the Veterans Health Administration: Implications for Expansion in US Healthcare Systems

J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Jan 19;1-10. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07370-8. Zachary L Mannes Abstract Background: Consensus guidelines recommend multimodal chronic pain treatment with increased use of non-pharmacological treatment modalities (NPM), including as first-line therapies. However, with many barriers to NPM uptake in US healthcare systems, NPM use may vary across medical care settings. Military veterans are […]

VA to Eliminate Spinal Decompression from Standardized Episodes of Care

12/23/2020 Update from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VA to Eliminate Spinal Decompression from Standardized Episodes of Care VA has reviewed its policy relating to chiropractic care and will no longer reimburse spinal decompression Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code S9090 on VA standardized episodes of care (SEOC) with dates of service effective […]

VA Shows the Way to Treat Low Back Pain

Practical Pain Management November 5, 2020 The VA has been increasingly and successfully applying chiropractic to low back pain care – it’s time for other specialties to take notice. By Sherry McAllister, DC An estimated 65% of Veterans suffer from chronic pain, more than three times the rate of the general population.1 At the same […]

Effects of Chiropractic Care on Strength, Balance, and Endurance in Active-Duty U.S. Military Personnel with Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineVol. 26, No. 7Original Articles Robert Vining, Cynthia R. Long, Amy Minkalis, M. Ram Gudavalli, Ting Xia, Joan Walter, Ian Coulter, and Christine M. Goertz Published Online:14 Jul 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0107 Abstract Objectives: To investigate whether chiropractic care influences strength, balance, and/or endurance in active-duty United States military personnel with low […]

Battlefield Acupuncture for Chronic Pain Management in Patients on Long-Term Opioid Therapy

Medical Acupuncture Anna Denee Montgomery and Ronovan Ottenbacher Published Online:25 Oct 2019https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2019.1382 Abstract Objectives: Battlefield Acupuncture (BFA) is a unique auricular acupuncture procedure utilized by many Veterans Affairs Healthcare Administration facilities. Several previous studies have shown an immediate reduction in pain for up to 2 weeks post BFA. The long-term effects of BFA and its […]

Opioid Use Among Veterans of Recent Wars Receiving Veterans Affairs Chiropractic Care

Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(suppl_1):S54-S60. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny114. Lisi AJ Abstract OBJECTIVE: To examine patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with opioid use among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) who receive chiropractic care, and to explore the relationship between timing of a chiropractic visit and receipt of an opioid prescription. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis […]

Chiropractic services in the active duty military setting: a scoping review

Silvano Mior Chiropractic & Manual Therapies 2019 27:45 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-019-0259-6 Published: 15 July 2019 Background Musculoskeletal injuries are one of the most prevalent battle and non-battle related injuries in the active duty military. In some countries, chiropractic services are accessed to manage such injuries within and outside military healthcare systems; however, there is no recent description […]

The use of complementary and integrative health approaches for chronic musculoskeletal pain in younger US Veterans: An economic evaluation – Full Text Article

PLoS One. 2019 Jun 5;14(6):e0217831. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217831. eCollection 2019. Herman PM Abstract OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost-effectiveness to the US Veterans Health Administration (VA) of the use of complementary and integrative health (CIH) approaches by younger Veterans with chronic musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) pain. PERSPECTIVE: VA healthcare system. METHODS: We used a propensity score-adjusted hierarchical linear […]

Use of Complementary and Integrated Health: A Retrospective Analysis of U.S. Veterans with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Nationally

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Vol. 25, No. 1 Stephanie L. Taylor, Patricia M. Herman, Nell J. Marshall, Qing Zeng, Anita Yuan, Karen Chu, Yijun Shao, Craig Morioka, and Karl A. Lorenz Published Online:18 Jan 2019https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0276 Abstract Objective: To partially address the opioid crisis, some complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies are now recommended […]

Opioid Use Among Veterans of Recent Wars Receiving Veterans Affairs Chiropractic Care.

Pain Med. 2018 Sep 1;19(suppl_1):S54-S60. doi: 10.1093/pm/pny114. Lisi A Abstract OBJECTIVE: To examine patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with opioid use among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) who receive chiropractic care, and to explore the relationship between timing of a chiropractic visit and receipt of an opioid prescription. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis […]

Injured Veteran Credits Chiropractic With Saving Him From Opioid Addiction

Jane K. Martinez, Contributor Published 7:00 a.m. ET July 10, 2018 SOMERVILLE — At just 19-years-old, Joseph Faro of Bridgewater was robbed of his lifelong dream in the blink of an eye. He tries not to see it that way and, at 27 now, he is adjusting to life as a civilian, future accountant and […]

The Horns Have Retracted: The Value of a Mandate and the Remarkable Ascent of Chiropractic in the VA

The Horns Have Retracted: The Value of a Mandate and the Remarkable Ascent of Chiropractic in the VA | John Weeks, Integrator June 15, 2018 In 2000, under a Congressional mandate requiring the Veteran’s Administration to open its doors to chiropractors, a committee of principally VA medical staff and chiropractors was convened to guide the […]

Veterans who learn Transcendental Meditation find relief from PTSD, new study shows

PUBLIC RELEASE: 12-JAN-2018 After one month, 80 percent had symptoms reduced to below the clinical level Veterans of the war in Vietnam, the Gulf War, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) found significant relief from their symptoms as a result of practicing the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, according to a new […]

Changes in female veterans’ neck pain following chiropractic care at a hospital for veterans – Full Text

Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice Volume 30, February 2018, Pages 91-95 Kelsey L.Corcoran DC Highlights Currently 15.8% of Veterans Affairs (VA) chiropractic patients are female. No prior studies have investigated US female veterans’ outcomes with VA chiropractic care. Female veterans had a statistically and clinically significant reduction in neck pain associated with chiropractic management. Abstract […]

Veteran “feels like a million bucks” Without Opioids, With Alternative Medicine

Posted: Jan 17, 2018 / 05:34 PM EST As some veterans continue to criticize the VA’s decision to wean them off opioids, others are finding relief in alternative treatments, including chiropractic care and acupuncture. At 50 years old, Donavan Jackson says his chronic back pain is much more manageable and no longer debilitating now that […]

Utilization of Manipulative Treatment for Spine and Shoulder Conditions Between Different Medical Providers in a Large Military Hospital – Full Text Article

Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation January 2018 Volume 99, Issue 1, Pages 72–81 Daniel Rhon, DSc’ Abstract Objective To describe the use of manipulative treatment for shoulder and spine conditions among various provider types. Design Retrospective observational cohort. Setting Single military hospital. Participants Consecutive sample of patients (N=7566) seeking care for an initial spine or shoulder […]

Reduction in Pain Medication Prescriptions and Self-Reported Outcomes Associated with Acupuncture in a Military Patient Population

To cite this article: Crawford Paul, Penzien Donald B., and Coeytaux Remy. Medical Acupuncture. August 2017, ahead of print.https://doi.org/10.1089/acu.2017.1234 Online Ahead of Print: August 4, 2017 ABSTRACT Background: Acupuncture is being offered to patients as part of routine medical care in selected military bases in the United States. There is little published information about the clinical outcomes […]