An eight-year follow-up on the health effects and costs of naprapathy for non-surgical patients referred to orthopedics was published in "Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease" in January.
This is the very first—and so far only—study to examine whether specialized manual therapy, such as naprapathy, can shorten orthopedic waiting lists and whether it is cost-effective. The newly published study is also the first long-term follow-up exceeding 12 months. The results are "dominant," meaning naprapathy was shown to both provide better health outcomes and cost significantly less than the treatment the control group received from orthopedics. The study highlights issues in the current triage process for patients with musculoskeletal complaints within the healthcare system.
The article's lead author is licensed naprapath Titti Lilje, who holds a PhD in Applied Health Technology. The article was written in collaboration with an orthopedic surgeon, health economists at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University, Maurits van Tulder, professor of Applied Health Technology and a key figure at the World Congress on Low Back and Pelvic Pain, and initially involved four naprapathy students.
Read the full article here.
Helène Schulte, Licensed Physician, PhD
Principal, School of Naprapathy
