Approaches to Chiropractic Care in Aging Patients

NCT07023809 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: UQTR_IP_Aging_2025
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 15
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this observational study is to understand how chiropractors adjust their therapeutic approaches based on their beliefs, the patient's age, and patient-specific characteristics, with a particular focus on aging patients. The study population includes licensed chiropractors in Quebec treating adult and aging patients in real clinical settings. Patients involved are receiving their usual care and are not the primary focus of the study. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• How do chiropractors modify their treatment strategies for aging patients?
• What contextual and clinical factors influence these therapeutic decisions? Researchers will observe chiropractors during routine care to assess treatment characteristics. To do this, participants will:
• Use a sensor to measure the force applied during specific manual treatments.
• Complete brief questionnaires after each treatment to report contextual details.
• Allow for the presence of a researcher during treatment delivery for observational purposes. Patients will:
• Fill out a short pre-treatment questionnaire.
• Receive their usual care with no interference in the treatment process.
• Be informed in advance and free to decline participation at any point. This study aims to provide a detailed picture of current chiropractic practices in Quebec related to the care of aging patients, while minimizing disruption to clinical routines.

Conditions

Muskuloskeletal Diseases

Keywords

Aging; manual therapy; safety; chiropractic

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Care approaches

  The researcher will take handwritten notes of all spinal manual therapies performed by the chiropractors on their patients during the data collection day.

  From the start of the clinician work day to the end of the clinician work day (1 day)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Manual therapy force

  From the start of the clinician work day to the end of the clinician work day (1 day)

Study Arms (1)

Chiropractors

All recruited chiropractors will be part of the same participant group. For each chiropractor, we plan to assess between 4 and 10 patients. Our goal is to analyze differences between the "younger" adult population (ages 18 to 49) and the "aging" adult population (ages 50 and older) in the context of care provided by each chiropractor.

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Chiropractors practicing in private clinics in Québec who report treating adult and aging patients presenting with musculoskeletal disorders.

You may qualify if:

• Be a practicing chiropractor working in a private clinic in Quebec located within approximately 150 km of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
• Have a patient base mainly composed of younger adults (ages 18 to 49) and aging adults (50 years and older).
• Use diversified manual therapy techniques on the spine and pelvis. This terminology is commonly used in chiropractic and refers to a range of techniques including spinal manipulation, spinal mobilization, instrument-assisted manipulation, and the use of pelvic blocks.

You may not qualify if:

• Not having a treatment room large enough to accommodate the researcher and her equipment, in addition to the patient.
• Having a schedule that does not allow extending the duration of multiple treatments within a single day.
• Be an adult aged between 18 and 49 years or 50 years and older.
• Be a regular patient of the chiropractor.
• \- New patients, defined as those attending their first or second appointment at the clinic. These visits are typically longer, and it is reasonable to expect that the patient may have more questions during these initial sessions. The presence of a third party could be uncomfortable for a patient who is still adapting to a new type of care or a new chiropractor. We do not wish to interfere with a patient-chiropractor relationship that is still being established.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières: lead

Related Publications (2)

• Caissy, D., Brousseau, D., Blanchette, M. A., Grenier, J.-M. & Pagé, I. Étude descriptive de l'expérience des chiropraticiens lors du traitement des patients vieillissants. Mémoire de maîtrise thesis, Montréal ; Trois-Rivières, Université de Montréal ; Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières., (2024).

  BACKGROUND

• Hawk C, Schneider M, Dougherty P, Gleberzon BJ, Killinger LZ. Best practices recommendations for chiropractic care for older adults: results of a consensus process. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2010 Jul-Aug;33(6):464-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.06.010.

  PMID: 20732584 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Isabelle Pagé, DC, MSc, PhD

  Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Isabelle Pagé, DC, MSc, PhD

CONTACT

819-376-5011; isabelle.page@uqtr.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: COHORT
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 1, 2025
• First Posted: June 17, 2025
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 15, 2025
• Study Completion: December 15, 2025
• Last Updated: July 16, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06