Chiropractic in the Eyes of the Public: 2nd Gallup-Palmer Poll
Editorial Staff
The second Gallup / Palmer College poll has been completed, yielding significant additional data regarding Americans' experiences with and perceptions of chiropractic care. Here are some of the more intriguing insights from this year's poll of 7,500-plus adults; access complete findings at www.palmer.edu/gallup-report/.
Fifteen percent of adults have seen a DC in the past 12 months (first poll: 14 percent).
Almost 50 percent have never been to a DC, with younger adults (ages 18-39) the most likely demographic to have never seen a chiropractor (58 percent).
Sixty-six percent say they are "very satisfied" with the chiropractic care they received; 81 percent "strongly" or "somewhat" agree it is a good monetary value; and 80 percent would recommend care to a friend / family member.
Twenty-eight percent of adults surveyed consider DCs the top choice for treating neck / back pain (massage therapists: 7 percent; PTs: 6 percent), but 53 percent consider medical doctors the top choice.
Sixty-seven percent consider chiropractic either "very" or "somewhat" effective for neck / back pain (second only to physical therapy, 86 percent).
Only 3 percent of recent (past-year) chiropractic users said they are "not very likely" or "not likely at all" to return at some point for care.
Desired chiropractic services range from spinal (91 percent) and extraspinal (81 percent) manipulation to health advice (68 percent), fitness / exercise planning (55 percent) and diet / nutrition planning (30 percent).
Recent experiences impact satisfaction significantly, with 60 percent of those who saw a DC in the past five years considering it "very effective," compared to 24 percent who saw a DC more than five years ago and 14 percent who've never seen a doctor of chiropractic.
Recent use also impacts perceived safety; 21 percent of non-users consider chiropractic "very safe," compared to 59 percent of users who saw a doctor of chiropractic in the past five years.
Sixty-eight percent consider physical therapy "very safe" for neck / back pain; for chiropractic, only 33 percent.
Top reasons for not visiting a DC: "I have another health care provider I would go to" (33 percent); "I don't trust chiropractors" (29 percent).
The 2016 Gallup-Palmer report contains substantially more data than the above, covering Americans' views on various aspects of chiropractic including safety, effectiveness compared to different treatment options (including medication), perceived barriers to accessing care, and more. Again, click here to review complete poll findings; to access data from the inaugural (2015) Gallup-Palmer poll / report, click here.
Because they have yet to pass national legislation protecting the chiropractic profession, Japanese DCs are in a similar situation that U.S. DCs faced. We were fortunate enough to be able to pass chiropractic licensure state by state. The DCs in Japan must accomplish this nationally, which has proved to be an extremely difficult task. And in spite of their efforts, Japanese DCs are currently faced with two chiropractic professions.
This article focuses on nine severe injuries that are generally not diagnosable until the third to fourth week following the date of injury, including how to diagnose these severe injuries. The discovery of any of these injuries early can make a significant difference in the case outcome.
There has long been an attempt by those who are not legitimate doctors of chiropractic to usurp the title of chiropractor from those who have earned their degree from an accredited chiropractic program. This generally happens in countries where the local doctors of chiropractic have yet to pass legislation requiring a degree from an accredited institution. The result is essentially two chiropractic professions. Nowhere is this danger more pronounced than in Japan.
