Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40603946›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Diagnostic and management concordance between chiropractors and neurosurgeons for patients with low back pain.

Janny Mathieu, Marie Beauséjour, Claude-Édouard Châtillon, Julie O'Shaughnessy, Charles Tétreau, Cesar A Hincapié, Petra Schweinhardt, Martin Descarreaux, Andrée-Anne Marchand

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Janny MathieuDepartment of Anatomy, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada. janny.mathieu@uqtr.ca.
Marie BeauséjourDepartment of Community Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC, Canada.
Claude-Édouard ChâtillonCentre intégré universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Mauricie-et-du- Centre-du-Québec, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Julie O'ShaughnessyChiropractic Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.
Charles TétreauDepartment of Human Kinetics, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois- Rivières, QC, Canada.
Cesar A HincapiéEpidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Petra SchweinhardtDepartment of Chiropractic Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Martin DescarreauxDepartment of Human Kinetics, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois- Rivières, QC, Canada.
Andrée-Anne MarchandChiropractic Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Low back pain is the leading contributor to disability worldwide and a major cause of primary care visits. Alternative models of care delivery drawing on musculoskeletal experts' skills and knowledge have received increasing attention for their potential ability to improve timely access to appropriate healthcare for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic and management concordance between chiropractors, known as musculoskeletal experts, and neurosurgeons for patients with low back pain. Before being seen by a neurosurgeon, 101 eligible participants (mean age: 60.32 years) were evaluated by a chiropractor. Overall diagnostic agreement between chiropractors and neurosurgeons was 74.7%, with a moderate inter-rater diagnosis agreement (κ = 0.51; 95%CI [0.35-0.68]). Chiropractors were significantly less likely to attribute a diagnosis of non-specific LBP to participants (31.6%) compared to neurosurgeons (43.2%) (p = 0.02), with an agreement proportion of 80.0%. Overall management agreement was 82.0%, indicating that chiropractors possess good skills in triaging patients with low back pain, which can optimize patient trajectories by accelerating management of non-surgical cases and reducing waiting lists for spine surgery consultations. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the impact of a chiropractor-informed triage on clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization for patients with low back pain.

Indexed as

ChiropracticLow Back PainNeurosurgeonsAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedAccess to careConcordanceLow back painModels of careSpecialized servicesTertiary care

Identifiers

PMID40603946
PMCPMC12222690

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.