Numerous studies throughout the world have shown that chiropractic treatment, including manipulative therapy and spinal adjustment, is both safe and effective. The following are excerpts from a few of the more recent studies:
For Acute Low-Back Problems:
"For patients with acute low-back symptoms without radiculopathy, the scientific evidence suggests spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and perhaps speeding recovery within the first month of symptoms." Clinical Practice Guidelines, AHCPR (1994)
For Long-term:
"...improvement in all patients at three years was about 29% more in those treated by chiropractors than in those treated by the hospitals. The beneficial effect of chiropractic on pain was particularly clear."
British Medical Journal, Meade et al. (1995)
"Manipulative therapy and physiotherapy are better than general practitioner and placebo treatment. Furthermore, manipulative therapy is slightly better than physiotherapy after 12 months."
British Medical Journal, Koes et al. (1992)
For Pain:
"...patients suffering from back and/or neck complaints experience chiropractic care as an effective means of resolving or ameliorating pain and functional impairments, this reinforcing previous results showing the benefits of chiropractic treatment for back and neck pain." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Verhoef et al. (1997) "
...for the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the most effective treatment, and it should be fully integrated into the government's health care system"
The Manga Report (1993)
For Headaches:
"The results of this study show that spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches." "Four weeks after cessation of treatment...the patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Boline et al. (1995)
For Elderly:
"Elderly chiropractic users were less likely to have been hospitalized, less likely to have used a nursing home, more likely to report a better health status, more likely to exercise vigorously, and more likely to be mobile in the community. In addition, they were less likely to use prescription drugs." Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, Coulter et al. (1996)
Patient Satisfaction:
Because chiropractic treatment of low-back pain is often more successful than traditional treatments, patient satisfaction with chiropractic care is generally higher. As these successes mount, positive word-of-mouth spreads. Today, the popularity of chiropractic is at an all-time high.
"Overall, respondents were very satisfied with the chiropractic care they received. Global satisfaction was 6.17 (on a 7-point scale), that is, within the range of 'very satisfied' to 'completely satisfied.
Journal of the American Chiropractic Association, Goertz et al. (1977)
". . . more likely . . . . satisfied . . ."
Patients positively endorsed all items on the satisfaction questionnaire, indicating a high level of satisfaction with the care they received." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Verhoef et al. (1997) "
Compared to those who sought care from traditional treatments, those who sought care from chiropractics were more likely to feel that treatment was helpful, more likely to be satisfied with their care, and less likely to seek care from another provider for that same episode of pain." Spine, Carey et al. (1996)
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Nearly 30% of the U.S. population, aged 18 and older, have used chiropractic. The Gallup Organization, Alhstrand (1991) Nine out of ten chiropractic users felt their treatment was effective.
Cost:
The Gallup Organization, Alhstrand (1991) "...a significant percentage (84%) felt that the care they received was 'just about perfect' and 97% either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement, 'I would recommend this doctor to a friend or relative.'"
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Sawyer & Kassak (1993)
Effectiveness of Chiropractic:
Chiropractic treatment of back pain is a perfect example of how health care expenditures can be reduced while in fact increasing the quality of care. Not only is the chiropractic treatment significantly less costly than treatment managed by other health care practitioners, but because chiropractic care can get workers back on the job more quickly, it can save businesses the expense of lost productivity.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
In 1994, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, published Acute Low Back Pain Problems in Adults as part of its Clinical Practice Guidelines. The panel, a multidisciplinary group of health care experts, developed recommendations on the treatment of acute low-back pain based on scientific evidence and extensive literature searches.
The findings concluded that spinal manipulation was "safe and effective," and recommended it as an initial form of therapy for acute low-back pain sufferers. Spinal manipulation (also called chiropractic adjustment) is the principal therapeutic procedure offered by doctors of chiropractic.
Topics of Ongoing Research:
Recognizing the need for clinical research and randomized trials, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research (FCER), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) and numerous other agencies have funded millions of dollars in chiropractic Research.
- Acute/Chronic low-back pain
- Carapal tunnel syndrome
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches
- Mild hypertension
- Neck pain
- Prevention/Health promotion
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