The Rand Corp Study

The Rand Study: RAND, a non-profit research organization, has completed three studies in the United States on chiropractic, with a fourth study currently underway.

1. The first study, a population-based estimate concerning the use of chiropractic services, reported in the American Journal of Public Health, that “chiropractors deliver a substantial amount of health care to the U.S. population, and there are significant geographic variations in the rate and intensity of use of chiropractic services” (Skekelle 1991).

2. The second study, “Spinal Manipulation for Low-Back Pain,” published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, affirmed that spinal manipulation is of benefit to some patients with acute low-back pain (Shekelle and Adams 1992).

3. The third study created two sets of appropriateness ratings for spinal manipulation. One set of ratings was developed by a multi-disciplinary panel and the other set was prepared by an all-chiropractic panel (Shekelle et al. 1992).

4. The fourth study, currently underway, is to determine the types of health case problems for which people seek chiropractic care and the types of care people receive from chiropractors. This study is expected to be completed in 1994.

Spinal manipulation was an effective treatment for low back disorders according to a 1991 report by the RAND Corp., done by a panel of independent experts who surveyed existing studies.