Patients receiving chiropractic care in a neurorehabilitation hospital: a descriptive study

This study describes the integration of chiropractic services into a neurorehabilitation hospital for patients with brain injury, spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, and other complex neurological conditions. It examines patient characteristics, chiropractic service utilization, and care challenges during the first 15 months of the program. Chiropractic services focused on relieving musculoskeletal pain and stiffness, often requiring adaptations due to patient limitations such as wheelchair dependence, contractures, and impaired speech. The study highlights the need for modifications to typical chiropractic care delivery in an inpatient setting, including working within interdisciplinary teams, longer visits, specialized treatment surfaces, and adapting to cognitive impairments and communication barriers.

• 1
  The most common procedures based on the percentage of visits were manual myofascial therapies, such as soft tissue mobilization and ischemic compression (93%), mechanical percussion (83%), manual muscle stretching (75%), and thrust manipulation to the spine or extremity joints (65%).
• 2
  Chiropractic care primarily addressed musculoskeletal symptoms, most commonly spine-related pain (n=15, 54%), joint or regional stiffness (n=14, 50%), and extremity pain (n=13, 46%).
• 3
  Common challenges included wheelchair dependence (89% of visits), two-person transfers (40%), and the presence of braces/orthotics (43%) or contractures (42%).