In Defense of Chiropractic: Foundation Responds to Scathing Article in Forbes
Editorial Staff
Read the introductory paragraphs to Dr. Steven Salzberg's Feb. 12, 2018 article in Forbes magazineand you'll instantly appreciate why the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) was quick to prepare a written response:
Here's a quick way for the U.S. government to save over half a billion dollars. Stop paying for coverage of medical procedures that have no evidence to support them and that are little more than quackery.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now releases annual reports of how much it spends, broken down according to the procedures. Their latest data, for the year 2015, reveals that Medicare spent $564,165,721 on pseudoscientific medical practices.
I'm talking about chiropractic and osteopathic manipulation. These are similar but distinct belief systems, both involving bones, and both with no evidence to back them up.
Immediately after the article appeared online, the F4CP crafted a letter to the editor for submission to the magazine. The thrust of the letter asserts: "The claims made by Steven Salzberg ... [suggesting] that spinal manipulation performed by doctors of chiropractic is ineffective in the management of pain from injured or aching backs is inaccurate and refuted by evidence-based research."
The foundation tackles Salzberg's primary claim of wasted money head-on, referencing a 2015 Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine study that found, according to the F4CP letter, that "chiropractic care may reduce the number of Medicare patient visits to primary care medical physicians for back and/or neck pain, resulting in $83.5 million in annual savings." (Emphasis added)
The letter also cites a 2018 systemic review and meta-analysis in TheSpine Journal on the efficacy of spinal manipulation and mobilization as performed by DCs for chronic low back pain; the 2017 Harvard Health Letter report that "recommends chiropractic care to 'relieve back pain, improve function, and help the body heal itself'"; and several recent guidelines that recommend chiropractic care as a primary nondrug pain-management option.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
Some pundits say that the upcoming presidential and congressional races, and many local races, might be the most consequential in our country’s history. We do not have the choice of sitting on the sidelines and hoping our patients will carry our water. Unlike other medical professions such as physical therapists, podiatrists, nurses, etc., the health care class (AMA) will not protect us. We must be in the game.
The most common condition affecting the shoulder is rotator-cuff disease. From acute tears to chronic tendinopathy, it’s common and needs a thorough workup. In fact, even asymptomatic shoulders can have full-thickness rotator-cuff rears in up to 40% of instances. Let’s look at additional conditions that can present to the office with weakness, loss of motion and pain in the shoulder beyond rotator-cuff tears.
