July 2006

Wolfe-Harris Center submits grant for sciatica

The Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies (WHCCS) at Northwestern Health Sciences University submitted a grant proposal for a study of back-related leg pain (also known as sciatica) to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This study builds upon two previous pilot studies conducted at Northwestern which have been published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

The $2.4 million proposed randomized clinical trial, submitted in collaboration with Palmer College of Chiropractic, would look at the effectiveness of spinal manipulation versus self-care for chronic and sub-acute patients suffering from back-related leg pain. If the grant is approved this fall, 192 patients would be enrolled in the study over the three years of the grant; about two-thirds would be treated at Northwestern while the other third would be treated at Palmer.

Word on whether the proposal has been accepted is expected to arrive this fall; recruitment would begin in April 2007. Gert Bronfort, PhD, DC, associate vice president of research at Northwestern, would be the study's principal investigator.

Source: Northwestern Health Sciences University, www.nwhealth.edu

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