Although chest pain may be a symptom of a cardiovascular disease, it may also indicate vertebral subluxation or muscular dysfunction of the cervical or thoracic region. However, little research has been conducted on the use of chiropractic for patients with this form of chest pain.To find out more, the authors of an ongoing study are looking at 300 patients with chest pain of non-coronary origin. Out of these patients, 120 patients with suspected musculoskeletal chest pain will be randomized into one of two groups: 1) A course of chiropractic therapy. 2) Advice promoting self-management and individual instructions focusing on posture and muscle stretch.

“This study may potentially demonstrate that a chiropractor is able to identify a subset of patients suffering from chest pain predominantly of musculoskeletal origin among patients discharged from an acute chest pain clinic with no apparent cardiac condition,” note the study’s authors. “Furthermore knowledge about the benefits of manual treatment of patients with musculoskeletal chest pain will inform clinical decision and policy development in relation to clinical practice.”

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders – March 31, 2008

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