A chapter dedicated to chiropractic treatment is included in a newly released textbook, Surgery for Low Back Pain, published last month by Springer Science+Business Media. Edited by preeminent spine surgeons from Europe, the inclusion of chiropractic methods in clinical decision-making by physicians is testimony to the research strides made over the past few decades and marks another example of the global growth and acceptance of the profession.
The chapter, "The Place of Chiropractic Care in the Treatment of Low Back Pain," was written by Christopher J. Colloca, DC, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based chiropractor with affiliations in the Department of Kinesiology at Arizona State University. Chiropractic education, training and practice are reviewed, followed by a description of the chiropractic patient encounter and a review of the mounting evidence on the subject of spinal manipulation.
Manipulative mechanisms and the positive reports for the clinical effectiveness in spinal manipulation for low back pain have paved the way recently for the inclusion of spinal manipulation into well-established clinical guidelines, including the American Pain Society / American College of Physicians clinical practice guideline. Dr. Colloca's chapter is a culmination of the entire profession's research, in addition to his own focusing on the use of chiropractic adjusting instruments and simultaneous dynamic stiffness assessments to improve objectifying chiropractic treatment. Dr. Colloca has published more than 50 scientific articles in the field.
Source: Springer-Verlag
Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
With estimates showing over 30 million Americans affected by peripheral neuropathy – and a significant portion underdiagnosed – it’s increasingly likely that chiropractors are already treating these patients. What’s missing is structured recognition, comprehensive management and targeted tools to slow progression, improve function and support systemic health.
Each year, ICD-10-CM is updated on Oct. 1. For 2026, there are 74,179 total codes, with 487 additions, 28 deletions and 38 revisions. Code changes are based on date of service, not the claim submission date. Services performed on/after Oct. 1 must use the new codes. While no changes affect the common spinal or extraspinal codes most frequently used by DCs, several updates may still affect your claims – particularly for comorbidities, referred pain, or trauma cases.
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