HL Deb 28 January 1982 vol 426 cc1112-3WA
Lord Ferrier

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will examine the extent to which the costs of the National Health Service would be reduced and the GNP enhanced by accepting the contribution which manipulative therapy would make in reducing the cost of treating back pain and preventing its incidence.

Lord Elton

The report of the Working Group on Back Pain (the Cochrane Report) published in 1979 recommended that comparative trials of manipulative and other treatments for back pain should be initiated. An assurance was given to the noble Lord on 21st November of that year[Official Report Vol. 403, col. 271] that research into the causes of and treatment for back pain was as a result already given high priority by the Department of Health and Social Security and that research proposals in this field would be welcome. Unfortunately, no proposals of acceptable scientific validity have been received. Clinical decisions on how particular patients should be treated for back pain would in any case be a matter for the judgment of the medical or other practitioners treating them.