Research
Effectiveness of Manual Therapies: UK evidence report

This report was commissioned by the General Chiropractic Council (GCC) to assist chiropractors’ compliance with the law and the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) requirements on healthcare advertising, as set out in the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code).

Chiropractors, like osteopaths, are required to base any advertised services on the best available research only. This report has attempted to review the best research evidence for known claims made by chiropractors in their advertisements across a wide range of conditions.

The report was undertaken by a team of chiropractic researchers based in the USA and Canada. The conclusions of the report are based on the results of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), widely accepted evidence-based guidelines in the UK and USA, and the results of any other RCTs which may not have appeared in either systematic reviews or guidelines. A total of 26 conditions were identified from 111 separate studies.

A copy of the full report can be found on the GOsC public website www.osteopathy.org.uk/resources /research/