Chiropractic has been a healthcare profession for 125 years, helping people with back and neck pain, headaches and other types of “neuro-musculoskeletal” pain -- while also improving mobility and performance. Today, doctors of chiropractic (DC) provide care in all 50 states and nearly 36 million individuals in the U.S. each year seek care from a DC, and more than 700 million people each year visit a DC worldwide. Not only are these individuals satisfied with their chiropractic care, but scientific studies have also shown chiropractic adjustments are effective for relieving acute and chronic pain, particularly in the back and neck, while also improving mobility. Chiropractic patients also tend to use fewer over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription painkillers and have an overall improved sense of well-being thanks to continued chiropractic care. DCs could be the right choice for your health. Like all healthcare decisions, it is important to learn more about the main treatment option performed by DCs, the chiropractic adjustment. ‘Millions of patients each year experience pain relief and improved mobility from the care delivered by doctors of chiropractic’ Why get an adjustment? Chiropractic adjustments can allow pain relief to occur naturally without the need for OTC medications or prescription painkillers. These medications can pose a significant health risk to yourself and studies have found opioids to be ineffective for chronic pain relief. Chiropractic patients with back and neck pain have been shown to have 55% lower odds of filling an opioid prescription. In addition to less prescriptive painkiller use, more than half (52%) of adults who saw a DC for significant neck or back pain said it was because the DC offered “the most effective treatment for my pain,” a result found by the Gallup-Palmer College of Chiropractic 2018 Annual Report.
Scientific evidence continues to mount for the use of adjustments to relieve low back and other types of musculoskeletal pain. The U.S. Department of Defense recently funded three clinical trials that concluded chiropractic care improves strength and endurance and decreases pain measures for active duty service members with low back pain. As a result of the mounting evidence, several medical societies and other industry organizations have changed their guidelines for managing pain to include spinal manipulation. Leading scientific journals such as The Lancet and the World Health Organization Bulletin have also urged healthcare providers to first consider drug-free pain management therapies, such as chiropractic adjustments, for low back pain. The increasing evidence that chiropractic care is effective for pain relief is recognized by health insurers, too. These companies are changing their health plan policies because chiropractic adjustments are effective and can lower healthcare costs compared to expensive surgeries, prescriptions and imaging tests. For example, Optum, which is part of UnitedHealth Group (one of the world’s largest private health insurers), reported that it saves more than $1,000 per patient if he or she visits a DC for their low back pain instead of a medical physician specialist. UnitedHealth Group now offers health plans with $0 co-pays for patients who seek care from a DC for their low back pain.
FUN FACT: Did you know that a chiropractic adjustment rewires your brain and nervous system for health and wellness? It’s much more than relieving neck and back pain and increasing your mobility.
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