NCMIC Provides Seed Money That Makes $14 Million Grant Possible
Congratulations to the Integrative Health & Wellbeing Research Program of the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Washington. They received a $14 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a landmark study on nondrug therapies, including chiropractic, to prevent chronic back pain.
Posted in Industry on Thursday, October 26, 2017
It's the largest federal grant for research led by chiropractors, and NCMIC and the NCMIC Foundation were pleased to have provided the seed money to conduct this study. According to the program’s lead investigator Gert Bronfort, D.C., Ph.D., the grant, “…would not have become a reality without the support of NCMIC.”
This is one of the first studies to address how spinal manipulation can prevent acute low back pain from becoming chronic and to address how chiropractors can help patients become less reliant on pain medications, including opioids.
According to the National Institutes of Health, one in five cases of acute low back pain becomes chronic. “Back pain is right in the center of the opioid crisis. We need to take a step back and consider other options that truly address patients’ needs and enable them to safely and effectively manage their pain,” said Roni Evans, D.C., Ph.D., an investigator on the study and director of the research program. “Rigorous, high impact research like this has the potential to firmly place chiropractors at the front line of care for the prevalent, costly and disabling spine pain conditions,” added Bronfort.
NCMIC has funded $14.8 million in support of chiropractic research and education since 1995, and its leadership has been pivotal in making it happen. Louis Sportelli, D.C., and Wayne Wolfson, D.C., guiding the NCMIC Foundation and NCMIC, are committed to funding research because they understand it will lead to better patient outcomes, increased access and improved reimbursement.
At NCMIC, we are proud to champion the chiropractic profession and continually invest in research. Find out more about the NCMIC Foundation.
Other collaborators on the research project include Oregon Health and Sciences University, Duke University and the University of North Texas.