Waste not, want not: call to action for spinal manipulative therapy researchers

Sasha Aspinall; Casper Nim; Jan Hartvigsen; Chad E Cook; Eva Skillgate; Steven Vogel; David Hohenschurz-Schmidt; Martin Underwood; Sidney M Rubinstein

doi:10.1186/s12998-024-00539-y

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Waste not, want not: call to action for spinal manipulative therapy researchers

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Waste not, want not: call to action for spinal manipulative therapy researchers

Sasha Aspinall, Casper Nim, Jan Hartvigsen, Chad E Cook, Eva Skillgate, Steven Vogel, David Hohenschurz-Schmidt, Martin Underwood and Sidney M Rubinstein

Chiropractic & manual therapies, Vol.32(1), 16

2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12998-024-00539-y

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Abstract

methodology

research waste

Spinal manipulative therapy

Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine

Allied health and rehabilitation science

Background Research waste is defined as research outcomes with no or minimal societal benefits. It is a widespread problem in the healthcare field. Four primary sources of research waste have been defined: (1) irrelevant or low priority research questions, (2) poor design or methodology, (3) lack of publication, and (4) biased or inadequate reporting. This commentary, which was developed by a multidisciplinary group of researchers with spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) research expertise, discusses waste in SMT research and provides suggestions to improve future research. Main text This commentary examines common sources of waste in SMT research, focusing on design and methodological issues, by drawing on prior research and examples from clinical and mechanistic SMT studies. Clinical research is dominated by small studies and studies with a high risk of bias. This problem is compounded by systematic reviews that pool heterogenous data from varying populations, settings, and application of SMT. Research focusing on the mechanisms of SMT often fails to address the clinical relevance of mechanisms, relies on very short follow-up periods, and has inadequate control for contextual factors. Conclusions This call to action is directed to researchers in the field of SMT. It is critical that the SMT research community act to improve the way research is designed, conducted, and disseminated. We present specific key action points and resources, which should enhance the quality and usefulness of future SMT research.

Details

Title: Waste not, want not: call to action for spinal manipulative therapy researchers
Authors/Creators: Sasha Aspinall
Casper Nim
Jan Hartvigsen
Chad E Cook
Eva Skillgate
Steven Vogel
David Hohenschurz-Schmidt
Martin Underwood
Sidney M Rubinstein
Publication Details: Chiropractic & manual therapies, Vol.32(1), 16
Publisher: BioMed Central unless otherwise stated. Part of Springer Nature
Identifiers: 991005665070307891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Allied Health
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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