Day: July 2, 2025

Diagnostic and management concordance between chiropractors and neurosurgeons for patients with low back pain

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In a secondary analysis of RCT comparing diagnostic & management decisions Janny Mathieu et al. from:

  1. Université du Québec à Trois‑Rivières, Trois‑Rivières, QC, Canada
  2. CIUSSS‑MCQ, Trois‑Rivières, QC, Canada
  3. Division of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
  4. Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC, Canada
  5. Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
  6. University of Zurich Spine Centre, Zurich, Switzerland
  7. University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

published in Scientific Reports to assess agreement in diagnosis and management between chiropractors and neurosurgeons for patients referred for Low back pain consultation. Diagnostic concordance was moderate (74.7%, κ = 0.51), management concordance strong (82%), suggesting chiropractors are competent for triage of non‑surgical low back pain, potentially easing surgical consult load 1)

Critical review:

– Strengths:

  1. Real‑world, clinically relevant sample (mean age ~60, N=101).
  2. Direct comparison with neurosurgeons using standardized categories.
  3. Good statistical rigour with κ, CI, p‑values reported.

– Limitations:

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