AAOS CAM Committee & Educational Charge

In response to a task force created by then President Robert D’Ambrosia, the Board approved formation of a new committee in 1999 focusing on complementary and alternative modalities as they relate to musculoskeletal care. The Committee’s principal charge is educating Academy members as well as the general public. The CAM committee will regularly disseminate and update this educational information as more empirical evidence becomes known.

The amount and quality of peer-reviewed scientific evidence regarding CAM is limited. However, research trials and funding of CAM modalities and outcomes are growing exponentially along with public interest. A 1997 national survey (Eisenberg, Davis, Ettner et al, JAMA 1998;280:1569-75) found that, between 1990 and 1997:

• the prevalence of CAM use increased by 25% from 33.8% (1990) to 42.1% (1997).
• the prevalence of herbal remedy use increased by 380%.
• the total visits to CAM providers (629 million) exceeded total visits to all primary care physicians (386 million) in 1997.
• out-of-pocket expenses for CAM professional services were estimated at $12.2 billion. This exceeded out-of-pocket expenditures for all US hospitalizations.

The CAM market presence and the impact CAM modalities have on patients’ health and physician treatment plans further heighten the need for clinical investigation into the claims and benefits these modalities offer. In 1998 the NIH created the National Center for Contemporary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in response to the growing interest and important safety concerns of CAM. NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science; training CAM researchers; and disseminating authoritative information.

For more information on CAM’s acceptance by the public, see Chairman of the AAOS CAM Committee Dr. John Wickenden’s April 2001 Bulletin article.