WFC Named Founding Member of WHO Rehabilitation Alliance
Editorial Staff
The World Federation of Chiropractic has been admitted as a founding member of the World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA), a World Health Organization "global network of stakeholders whose mission is to support the implementation of the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative through advocacy activities. It focuses on promoting rehabilitation as an essential health service that is integral to Universal Health Coverage and to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages."
The World Rehabilitation Alliance has two primary objectives, according to the WFC: 1) conduct evidence-based advocacy activities that increase support and raise awareness on rehabilitation; and 2) strengthen networking and knowledge sharing within the rehabilitation sector.
WFC Secretary-General Dr. Richard Brown explained how WFC's involvement with the Rehabilitation Alliance strengthens the profession's value in the global health care arena:
"As a non-state actor in official relations with WHO since 1997, we are delighted to have been accepted as a member of the WRA. Chiropractors worldwide can play an important role in addressing disability and restoring functioning through their work as non-surgical, non-drug spine and joint experts. We look forward to collaborating with our colleagues across the rehabilitation space to contribute towards happier, healthier and more active populations."
The WHO describes the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative, the key mission component of the WRA, as follows. The initiative:
[D]raws attention to the profound unmet need for rehabilitation worldwide, and highlights the importance of strengthening health systems to provide rehabilitation. The initiative marks a new strategic approach for the global rehabilitation community by emphasizing that:
Rehabilitation should be available for all the population and through all stages of the life course.
Efforts to strengthen rehabilitation should be directed towards supporting the health system as a whole and integrating rehabilitation into all levels of health care.
Rehabilitation is an essential health service and crucial for achieving universal health coverage.
With ageing populations, and an increase in the number of people living with chronic disease, rehabilitation is a priority health strategy for the 21st century that uniquely contributes to optimising the functioning of the population.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
Some pundits say that the upcoming presidential and congressional races, and many local races, might be the most consequential in our country’s history. We do not have the choice of sitting on the sidelines and hoping our patients will carry our water. Unlike other medical professions such as physical therapists, podiatrists, nurses, etc., the health care class (AMA) will not protect us. We must be in the game.
The most common condition affecting the shoulder is rotator-cuff disease. From acute tears to chronic tendinopathy, it’s common and needs a thorough workup. In fact, even asymptomatic shoulders can have full-thickness rotator-cuff rears in up to 40% of instances. Let’s look at additional conditions that can present to the office with weakness, loss of motion and pain in the shoulder beyond rotator-cuff tears.
