What About Chiropractic?
Dr. Michael Starkey is a chiropractor practicing in Tempe, AZ. Dr. Starkey specializes in preventing, diagnosing, and treating conditions associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system while improving each patient's functionality and quality of life. Conditions treated include sciatica, neck pain, and arthritis pain, among... more
Whether you are a regular chiropractic patient or trying to decide if chiropractic is right for you, there are many facts about chiropractic care that may interest you.
Chiropractic is a licensed health care profession that puts importance on the body's ability to heal itself. It focuses on the body's neurological/skeletal/muscular systems. Treatments may consist of manual therapy, which often includes spinal manipulation. Other complementary treatments may include physiotherapies, such as ultrasound, or nutritional/rehab/exercise counseling.
Chiropractic is considered to be the 3rd largest health care profession. Chiropractors treat more than 35 million people a year and deliver more than 1 million treatments per day. Chiropractic is considered to be a conservative, non-invasive care.
With all of those treatments being performed, 77% of people receiving chiropractic care describe it as “very effective”. As a matter of fact, Consumer Reports showed that chiropractic outperformed prescription medication, deep-tissue massage, yoga, Pilates, and meditation, when it came to treating back pain. About 65% of the patients surveyed by CR said their chiropractic care was “helping a lot”.
Within the group of treating patients, 46% are treating for low back pain, which is considered to be the most common reason to see a Doctor of Chiropractic. The second and third reasons to see a chiropractor are neck pain and then headaches. These conditions can be chronic or acute, as in an auto accident or sports injury. About 40% of patients with low back pain will see a chiropractor before a medical doctor. This makes sense because conservative care is considered to be effective, drug-free, and not cost prohibitive.
In 2017, the American College of Physicians released an update to its low back pain treatment guideline that recommends first using non-drug treatments, such as spinal manipulation (a centerpiece of chiropractic care), for acute and chronic low back pain Also, a randomized clinical study showed chiropractic techniques were 40% more effective than medical care for treating low back pain. Chiropractic led to a 30% reduction in pain for 94% of participants, while medical care led to pain reduction in only 54% of participants. Other studies showed the effectiveness of treatment for neck pain, migraines, and headaches.
About 67% of patients receive chiropractic for a specific health condition. The other 33% are patients looking to focus on their wellness, specifically for general wellness, memory, improved energy, and improved immune functioning. This isn’t surprising, as other studies have shown that regular chiropractic care can reduce the number of hospital visits up to 60% and decrease pharmaceutical costs by up to 85%. This is substantial.
There are presently 70,000 chiropractors in the United States and these doctors have had over 5000 hours of training to become a chiropractor. Chiropractors also have to pass 4 parts of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners test and also pass their state’s law test in order to practice.
