A new study found that adults with newly diagnosed sciatica who initially received chiropractic spinal manipulation (CSM) were significantly less likely to experience opioid-related adverse drug events (ORADES) such as overdose and poisoning over a one-year follow-up compared to those receiving usual medical care.

“Although previous studies demonstrated a reduced likelihood of opioid prescription among patients receiving chiropractic care, our study is the first to focus on opioid-related adverse events, adding a layer of clinical relevance to our work,” said Robert Trager, DC, lead author of the study. According to Roshini Srinivasan, MD, co-author and resident physician at Duke University Hospital, “This work underscores that chiropractic spinal manipulation is not only an effective analgesic and rehabilitative modality — but perhaps more importantly, may be a life-saving one.”

The study excluded patients with prior ORADE and opioid use disorder and used propensity score matching to balance cohorts on key variables such as age, sex, other substance use disorders, medications, and other factors.

The researchers acknowledged the limitations inherent to retrospective studies, such as potential unmeasured confounding and constraints related to using real-world data. However, they emphasized that their findings align with clinical practice guidelines recommending spinal manipulation as part of a multimodal approach to treating sciatica.

The authors call for further research to explore whether the observed reduction in ORADES is attributable to the CSM intervention itself or could be due to the broader effects of visiting non-pharmacological clinicians such as chiropractors or physical therapists.

Presented as a service to the community by: Union County Chiropractic Clinic, 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, TN (865) 992-7000 www.unioncountychiropractic.com