New Neck Pain Best Practices Guideline in Development
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
The Clinical Compass (originally the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters – CCGPP) recently issued a call for interested DCs to help shape a new best practices guideline for chiropractic care of neck pain. The Delphi method is being utilized, meaning it will solicit "the opinions of experts through a series of carefully designed questionnaires interspersed with information and opinion feedback in order to establish a convergence of opinion."
The Clinical Compass, which had completed selection of Delphi panel members as of Aug. 31, explains the rationale underlying the necessity for this project as follows:
While we know Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG's) are the holy grail of the research hierarchy, we also know that there is still a lot of work to do to understand our interventions and their subsequent outcomes for patients. Absence of evidence does NOT mean absence of effectiveness. The practical application? Recently two of the largest insurance companies made medical policy decisions EXCLUDING common treatments in a chiropractic office. Because there are no CPG's around these interventions, the insurance companies are inappropriately denying payment. A BPG [Best Practice Guideline] helps to solve these enormous injustices.
For additional information regarding this important project, including an explanation of the project and an orientation to the Delphi process, visit www.clinicalcompass.org.
A historic meeting between chiropractic and Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) leadership took place on March 10th, 2026, in Washington, D.C., featuring representatives from chiropractic national organizations, professional associations and policy principals. The collective goal: advancing the role of chiropractic in improving the health of Americans. Meeting participants focused on long-standing issues that have affected the chiropractic profession for decades, including access to care, reimbursement parity, and ensuring DCs have an appropriate role in national health policy discussions.
Radicular-like pain of the upper and lower extremities is among the most common presentations in musculoskeletal and spine-related practice. Traditionally, these symptoms are interpreted through a disc-centric and dermatomal framework, often leading clinicians to attribute limb pain, paresthesia or perceived weakness to spinal nerve-root pathology. While this approach is appropriate in cases of true radiculopathy, it frequently falls short when symptoms fail to follow consistent dermatomal patterns or correlate poorly with imaging findings.
A 46-year-old male presented to our clinic with a seven-year history of recurrent low back pain with sciatica. He reported stiffness and discomfort that worsened with prolonged sitting both at his desk job and during evening television time. The patient had seen multiple chiropractors over the years. In every case, spinal manipulation and other passive treatments would bring gradual symptom relief over 2-3 months. However, within another 3-6 months, the symptoms would return. Frustrated – and now considering a spinal injection and possibly surgery if that failed, he came to our office seeking a different approach.
