Acadia is pleased to announce the signing of a collaboration agreement with The Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation (CCRF) to develop future research and funding opportunities related to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions and related health areas.

What Is MSK?

MSK issues refer to injuries and painful conditions associated with the spine, muscles, joints and nervous system. Nova Scotia has the second highest rate of MSK conditions in Canada, with over 30% of residents suffering with some form of back pain. In 2020, 63% of all workplace injuries were MSK-related. This puts a tremendous burden on Nova Scotia’s healthcare system, reducing productivity and impacting quality of life. MSK concerns are also linked to major public health concerns such as opioid use, mental wellness and emergency room wait times.

Why This Is Exciting News

Pooling resources to spark breakthrough research benefits both organizations. “This agreement supports our goal to create a long-term relationship that produces excellent value in areas such as rehabilitation, through Acadia’s network of health researchers from Kinesiology, the Centre of Lifestyle Studies (COLS) and the Acadia Institute of Data Analytics,” says Dr. Anna Redden, Associate Vice-President Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies.

Acadia’s researchers in Kinesiology and the Centre of Lifestyle Studies are currently looking at the effects of chiropractic treatments on performance, and the roles of Chiropractors working with Kinesiologists to support patients in exercise.

Dr. Jonathon Fowles (Kinesiology), who is the Director of the Centre of Lifestyle Studies, and the Scientific Director for Exercise is Medicine Canada, is excited to expand his research with this partnership "I have undergraduate and graduate students that are interested in pursuing research on the chiropractic treatments and practices."

Further, Acadia’s Institute for Data Analytics has played a critical role in supporting Halifax-based Movella – a leader in the growing industry of performance athletics and sports technology - in the evolution of their Kinduct mobile platform which has become the preferred remote programming and monitoring solution used by over 5,000 professionals of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

“CCRF has been actively establishing partnerships over the past three years to maximize financial support for high-impact research” shares CCRF chair Dr. Nadine Ellul says. “Acadia is a welcome addition to the growing list of collaborators, as they have a proven track record of pursuing innovative solutions through new lines of inquiry in areas such as sport science, rehabilitation, and workplace specific health studies. All in all, we’re very excited to be teaming up with our interdisciplinary colleagues at Acadia to advance research that will reduce the load on our healthcare systems, enhance economic performance and help people live their lives to the fullest,” concludes Dr. Ellul.

Why Chiropractic?

Chiropractors are MSK experts specializing in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of biomechanical disorders originating from the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems. Since 2019, CCRF has provided $1,500,000 in grants to over 40 MSK-related research projects.

About CCRF

For over 45 years, CCRF has worked with researchers and partners to perpetually improve musculoskeletal health and related areas of well-being for all Canadians, by investing in evidence-informed research and building research capacity through grant awards, networking and collaborations.