Evidence of effectiveness of a treatment is a strange thing – there are layers. One of most important pieces of evidence that helps a Chiropractor decide what is working is what a patient says to you. “You did this to me last time and I feel so much better” yet this is classed as the lowest form!

A Chiropractors experience is next. I would argue after 34+ years of treating all sorts of patients with all sorts of aches and pains head to toe that it is one of the most important, knowing when, what, and how to treat is certainly refined over time but again as evidence goes it’s placed at a low level. Equally as important in my opinion, is that this experience helps filter out those cases that need to be referred on for another opinion. For example when surgery would be in the best interests of the patient rather than a Chiropractic ‘package of care’.

Next in the literature comes case studies’ involving single individuals, followed by case studies with multiple individuals. Then these can be grouped together (cohort studies). Then Random Controlled Trials (RCT’s), Multi centre RCTs then RCTs with double blind and cross over methodology from multiple centres. Finally policy statements/reviews from world respected organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), respected worldwide bodies or level one medical journals where world experts in their field publish their studies which is highly scrutinised by other world experts.

Chiropractic care does not involve a single intervention. It’s a package of care that draws on different treatments with the combined aim to get you better, faster. Below are links to evidence and over time more links will be added.