A new survey of the global chiropractic workforce by the World Federation of Chiropractic reveals "a significant lack of provision in low- and middle-income countries" and "that of the 48 educational institutions offering chiropractic programs, the majority [are] in high-income countries."
"With low back pain being the biggest single cause of years lived with disability and an increasing ageing population, it is clear that there is a shortfall in the numbers of health workers globally who are trained to effectively manage spinal pain and disability," said WFC Secretary-General, Richard Brown.
An article in the World Health Organization's Bulletin supports Brown's comments, discouraging opioid use for back pain and advocating nondrug options ... but also warning of the lack of health system support for chiropractic and other nondrug therapies. So, the world needs more chiropractic ... but isn't filling the need. Something has to give.
When I graduated from chiropractic college in 1981 and started practice, I heard it all, and very little was positive. “You are a quack; you do not know what a subluxation is; you couldn’t get into a real health care program, so you chose the one that is slightly above a mail-order degree; you have no proof that chiropractic works; Are you really licensed?”, and so much more.
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A central challenge in creating our identity is that chiropractic is a method of care, not a technique or procedure. This is an important concept for us to promote. Our patients are treated with lifestyle modification, exercise, nutritional supplements, diet and a whole-body approach to accelerate the natural healing process. We are not simply CMT providers.
The results of a global survey released late last year (2023) unveiled some startling findings among medical and nursing students. The “Clinician of the Future: 2023 Education Edition” surveyed 2,212 students, of which 446 were in the United States, from 91 countries.
