Logan awarded $1.2 million Federal Research Grant

January 5, 2009 — The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded Logan College of Chiropractic a $1,208,957 grant for a three-year study of the effects of chiropractic care on low back pain and balance for the geriatric population.

Researchers from Logan College of Chiropractic and Saint Louis University will examine more than 400 older adults to determine the relationship between low back pain (LBP) and balance, and then compare chiropractic and conventional therapies.

Dennis Enix, DC, MBA, assistant professor in Logan College of Chiropractic’s Research Division and the study’s principal investigator will work with Joseph Flaherty, MD, associate professor in the Division of Geriatrics at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and Veteran’s Administration Hospital, and Theodore Malmstrom, PhD, an assistant professor and statistician in the Saint Louis University Department of Neurology and Psychiatry.

According to Enix, LBP is a common comorbidity for postural-control-related falls and the most frequently reported musculoskeletal condition in the elderly, with prevalence rates ranging from 19.7 percent in people over the age of 65, to as high as 40 percent for individuals over 75. Falls in the aging population represent a significant risk factor in morbidity, affecting up to 35 percent of adults over 65.  Balance-related falls are a leading cause of institutionalization in the geriatric population and result in more than 5 million patient visits per year.

Enix says the study is designed to test the efficacy of a multimodal treatment program for LBP-related balance disorders consisting of manual therapy, exercise and standard therapy. He says the study will help identify the most effective treatment protocols for older adults with LBP and balance or postural -control problems and provide additional insight into establishing clinical predication rules for the treatment of LBP and balance problems.

Source: Logan College of Chiropractic, www.logan.edu