News / Profession

One-Third of Back Pain Sufferers Seek DCs Over MDs

Dynamic Chiropractic Staff

A recent issue of "Research Activities" published by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) gave this summary of two studies the Agency funded:

"Back pain episodes of care among adults in the United States are usually brief and recur infrequently (within 3 to 5 years). One-third of all patients suffering from back pain choose chiropractors over physicians to treat them, and chiropractors provide 40 percent of primary care for back pain. These are the results of two studies supported in part by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (HS06920).

"About 10 percent of patients initially seeing other providers switched to a chiropractor to receive the majority of their back pain care. Moreover, chiropractors retained a greater proportion (92 percent) of their patients for subsequent episodes of back pain care than did other providers. This coincides with other findings that low back pain patients of chiropractors are more satisfied with their care than those of other providers."

It's not just what is said, but who says it.

------------------------ "One-third of back pain sufferers seek care from chiropractors instead of physicians", Research Activities, No. 189, November/December 1995

April 1997
print pdf
Trending
News / Profession
NBCE-FCLB Merger Approved
NBCE-FCLB Merger Approved

The proposed merger of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners and Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards was approved by NBCE delegates and FCLB members at their respective annual meetings, held jointly in Atlanta, Ga., this year. Per the new bylaws, the new entity takes the NBCE name, with FCLB continuing as a department within NBCE. The federation will continue to enjoy Board of Directors representation on what will be a single, expanded board.

 |  Digital Exclusive
Dynamic Chiropractic Staff
Diagnosis & Diagnostic Equip
When Radiculopathy Isn’t Radiculopathy: A Clinical Series (Pt. 3)
When Radiculopathy Isn’t Radiculopathy

Before introducing subscapularis syndrome as an upper extremity analog, it is essential to revisit piriformis syndrome as a well-established example of myogenic pseudo-radiculopathy. Piriformis syndrome has long served as a clinical exception to disc-centric models of lower extremity pain and provides an important framework for understanding how deep muscular dysfunction can mimic radiculopathy in the absence of nerve root compression.

Ken Kaufman, DC
Healthcare / Public Health
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics
From Pain Scores to Performance Metrics

Pain has become the dominant language of musculoskeletal healthcare. Numeric pain-rating scales and symptom reports are routinely used as primary indicators of clinical success. But while pain reduction is meaningful, it is an incomplete and often misleading representation of recovery. This has real consequences for patient adherence, long-term outcomes, and how conservative care is perceived within the broader healthcare system.

Christopher Proulx, DC, PhD(ABD), CSCS