Chiropractic is the top natural choice for the treatment of pain, concluded a survey conducted by Media General, a Richmond, Virginia firm, in February. The survey was funded by Foot Levelers, Inc., through its Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (FCP) media campaign.
Of those consumers participating in the telephone survey, 60 percent said they would seek medical care if injured and suffering from back or neck pain; 23 percent said they would go to the chiropractor - more than the combined results for physical therapists (seven percent), massage therapists (four percent) and acupuncturists (one percent).
The sampling also indicated, to no one's surprise, that drug use was the most popular treatment for headaches, but the number two choice was chiropractic. That finding supports the study released early last year from the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, North Carolina ("Evidence Report: Behavioral and Physical Treatments for Tension-Type and Cervicogenic Headache" - see the March 12, 2001 issue of DC, or go to www.chiroweb.com/archives/19/06/02.html). The Duke study compared the application of spinal manipulation to the antidepressant amitriptyline for headache patients, finding substantial evidence for the efficacy of chiropractic for tension and cervicogenic headaches.
"Chiropractic has helped people understand that having 'normal headaches' isn't 'normal,' noted Louis Sportelli,DC, a spokesperson for the FCP. "After trying different headache medicines, patients typically visit a chiropractor and feel better without potentially harmful side-effects. Most people go to the chiropractor for a second opinion and wish they'd gone there first," he added.
The FCP was founded by Foot Levelers President Kent Greenawalt to "spearhead a major nationwide public awareness campaign for chiropractic." For more details on the survey go to www.mediageneral.com.
