By Laura Dyrda | Wednesday, 29 November 2017 17:30
A new study published in Spine examines the trends in chiropractic care for back pain based on a 2012 National Health Interview survey.
Study authors examined the survey results, which included 34,525 respondents, and found:
1. Around 8.4 percent of the survey respondents reported using a chiropractor in the past 12 months and 24 percent had seen a chiropractor at some point in their lives.
2. Nearly two-thirds of patients arriving at the chiropractor’s office for consultations reported back pain and 30.2 percent reported neck pain. The majority of respondents reported chiropractors helped them “a great deal” to improve their overall health and well-being.
3. Twenty-three percent of the chiropractic users reported receiving prescriptions and 35 percent reported using over-the-counter medications for the health problems they presented to the chiropractor. Nearly 64 percent said chiropractic care combined with other medical treatment was helpful.
4. Adults older than 30 years and those diagnosed with spine pain were more likely to have consulted a chiropractor than younger patients or those without back pain.
5. Study authors recommended additional research into integrating chiropractic and conventional healthcare services based on their findings.