This systematic review pulls together the literature published between 2008 and 2018 on chiropractic maintenance care, planned preventive visits continued after a patient’s pain has settled.
What was studied?
14 studies were analysed to define how maintenance care is delivered, typically every one to three months, and to assess how frequently it is used and what outcome evidence exists.
What did they find?
Around 30% of Scandinavian chiropractic patients receive maintenance care. The strongest single trial found maintenance care patients had about 13 fewer bothersome pain days over a year, but no studies had examined cost-effectiveness.
Why it matters
There is reasonable professional consensus and at least one well-designed trial supporting maintenance care's ability to reduce bothersome pain days for the right patient, rather than for everyone.
Why we included it
It illustrates why an approach should be offered to the specific patients the evidence supports, not extended into a default recommendation for everyone.
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What was studied?
14 studies were analysed to define how maintenance care is delivered, typically every one to three months, and to assess how frequently it is used and what outcome evidence exists.
What did they find?
Around 30% of Scandinavian chiropractic patients receive maintenance care. The strongest single trial found maintenance care patients had about 13 fewer bothersome pain days over a year, but no studies had examined cost-effectiveness.
Why it matters
There is reasonable professional consensus and at least one well-designed trial supporting maintenance care's ability to reduce bothersome pain days for the right patient, rather than for everyone.
Why we included it
It illustrates why an approach should be offered to the specific patients the evidence supports, not extended into a default recommendation for everyone.