CHiROPRACtiC
Chiropractic – towards
new horizons
The British Chiropractic Association has a new President. Richard Brown talks about his
agenda for change and his aspirations for the UK’s largest chiropractic association.
Sources of funding: none The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) is the largest and longest-
established chiropractic organisation in Europe. Founded in 1925, it has
Conflicts of interest: consistently been at the forefront of the profession in the UK and has been
Richard Brown is the President instrumental in promoting the practice of chiropractic and the standards of
of the BCA professional education that we see today. The BCA initiated the discussions
and work which led to the regulation of chiropractic through the Chiropractors
Address for correspondence: Act 1994 and has worked tirelessly to set, maintain and uphold standards of
Richard Brown DC, LL.M, FCC, FEAC, excellence within its membership.
FBCA,
President
British Chiropractic Association
The Lansdown Clinic
1 High Street ●
Chiropractic has gained
acceptance and popularity but
it has been a double-edged
Stroud sword. As a consequence of enhanced
Gloucestershire GL5 1AU profile through increasing numbers and
statutory regulation, chiropractic has
become a target for critics, some of
whom have carved themselves a niche
in terms of repeated attacks on the
chiropractic profession.
Chiropractic professional status
elevated
Despite this, there is an increased
utilisation of chiropractic services by
patients, increased referrals from GPs
and the status of the profession has
been elevated to such an extent that the
National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (NICE) has recommended the delivery of effective musculoskeletal
the inclusion of spinal manipulation in services. The archaic principle of bed
the treatment of low back pain. Add to rest has (thankfully) long been discarded
that its inclusion in the Musculoskeletal and the evolution of the patient as an
Services Framework, the commissioning active participant in their care rather
of chiropractic services by PCTs and than a passive recipient of treatment
LHBs and the ever-rising numbers of has characterised the modern approach
chiropractors and it becomes clear to the management of back pain.
that chiropractic has progressed Chiropractors have taken a leading role
immeasurably. in developing strategies for rapid return
to work and early mobilisation through
The soaring social and economic evidenced programmes of rehabilitation
costs of back pain in recent years have and effective exercise regimes. The role
prompted a multidisciplinary focus on of spinal manipulation, the hallmark of
36 The Backcare Journal
backcare Winter 2009/10.indd 36 8/1/10 11:20:23
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