Federally Funded Research

Over the years, Cox® Technic has garnered attention for its research documentation. It started in the early years of technique development under Dr. James M. Cox who published clinical observations then formed a group of colleagues to document their clinical outcomes as a collaborative unit. Today, chiropractic, medical, statistical, biomechanical as well as clinical researchers continue to study the feasibility of flexion distraction for spine pain conditions like neck pain, back pain, leg pain and arm pain.

 

In the early 1990's, the Health Resources and Services Administration gave a real boost to chiropractic research in the form of Chiropractic Demonstration Grants. Under Dr. Ram Gudavalli's grant writing efforts, flexion distraction was awarded one of the first grants to study and document its biomechanical effects on the low back. Since then, HRSA grants have continued to support chiropractic research.

 

Some of the federally funded research as well as other organizationally funded research projects are listed below with links to more information. (Click here for a list of [most] all articles regarding flexion distraction.)

 

 

 

National University of Health Sciences enjoyed the initial HRSA grants regarding flexion-distraction. Under the guidance of Dr. Gudavalli, the first biomechanical study was done with Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, University of Illinois, Hines VA Hospital staff, and AuburnUniversity graduate student program. 

In 2003, a grant (funded by the Health Resources and Services Adminstration and Berman Center for Outcomes and Clinical Research) was awarded. The purpose of this randomized clinical trial is to assess the relative effectiveness of three conservative treatment approaches for seniors with chronic low back pain: 1) chiropractic manual treatment plus home exercise, 2) supervised exercise plus home exercise and 3) home exercise alone. 

In 2004, a grant (funded by Health Resources and Services Administration) was awarded to do a comparison study of flexion distraction (low velocity variable amplitude), chiropractic (HVLA) and medical care of elderly patients’ low back pain. Under its principal investigator, Dr. William Meeker, it was completed at Palmer Center for Research in cooperation with the University of Iowa.

In 2004, the fifth federal grant (funded by NIH, the National Institutes of Health) was awarded for predicting low back pain patients response to spinal manipulation (chiropractic HVLA & flexion distraction LVVA). Under its principal investigator, Dr. William Meeker, it is also underway at the Palmer Center for Research in cooperation with the University of Iowa.

In 2006, a grant (funded by FCER) was awarded for the study flexion-distraction for stenosis. Under its principal investigator, Jerrilyn Cambron DC MPh, it is underway at National University of Health Sciences, University of Illinois Medical Center (Chief of Geriatric Medicine).

 

In 2008, a grant (funded by National Institutes of Health) was awarded for this project. Under its principal investigators, M. Ram Gudavalli, Ph.D., and Avinash G. Patwardhan, Ph.D., this developmental study is a collaboration between the investigators at Palmer College of Chiropractic Research Center (PCCR) and investigators at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine (LUSSM) and Edward Jr. Hines Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital. The biomechanics of flexion-distraction are being studied in preparation of more study. This is a project under the Developmental Center for Clinical and Translational Research in Chiropractic (DCRC I) Grant funded by the National Institutes of Health. #U19 AT004137-03

 

 

In 2009, a grant (funded by Palmer College of Chiropractic and National Institute for Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) was awarded for this project. Under its principal investigator, Dr. Christine Choate at Palmer, the objective of this study is to assess the effects of high-velocity low-amplitude spinal manipulation and low-velocity variable amplitude spinal manipulation on three types of sensorimotor abilities in patients with low back pain.

 

 

 

In 2008, a grant (funded by Department of Veterans Affairs) was awarded. The research is to determine the effectiveness of chiropractic management for treatment of chronic lower back pain in older adults. It is underway at VA Western NY Healthcare System at Buffalo and VA Medical Center in Canandaigua, NY. Paul Dougherty, DC, of the New York College of Chiropractic,  is the principal investigator.

In this project (funded by HRSA R18HP07641) titled "Spinal Manipulative Therapy versus Active Exercise Therapy for chronic lower back pain: A randomized clinical trial with subgroup analyses," the researchers are compare the effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy with active exercise therapy in chronic pain patients. Paul Dougherty, DC, of the New York College of Chiropractic, is the principal investigator.