BACK To The Stats

BACK To The Stats

• Created inNewsletter Library,Back, Body & Joint Pain

Although doctors of chiropractic (DCs) care for more than just back pain,many patients visit DCs looking for relief from this pervasive condition.

Thirty-one million Americans have low back pain at any given time (1).One half of all working Americans admit to having back symptoms each year(2). One third of all Americans over age 18 had a back problem in the pastfive years severe enough for them to seek professional help (3). And thecost of this care is estimated to be a staggering $50 Billion yearly— andthat’s just for the more easily identified costs! (4).

These are just some of the astounding facts about Americans and theirmiserable backs! Is there any wonder why some experts estimate that as manyas 80% of all of us will experience a back problem at some time in our lives?(5).

Because back problems are this common it’s probably going to happen toyou too! Shouldn’t you find out what to do about it before it happens ratherthan after? Why wait until you’re hurting to learn about your treatment options?

When you’re hurting you may not give this important decision the timeand attention it needs to make the best choice. Here are the facts aboutmanipulation as a treatment for back problems:

Manipulation is one of several established forms of treatment used forback problems. Used primarily by Doctors of Chiropractic (DCs) for the lastcentury, manipulation has been largely ignored by most others in the healthcare community until recently. Now, with today’s growing emphasis on treatmentand cost effectiveness, manipulation is receiving much more widespread attention.In fact, after an extensive study of all currently available care for lowback problems, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research— a federalgovernment research organization— recommended that low back pain sufferschoose the most conservative care first. And it recommended spinal manipulationas the ONLY safe and effective, DRUGLESS form of initial professional treatmentfor acute low back problems in adults! (6). Chiropractic manipulation, alsofrequently called the chiropractic adjustment, is the form of manipulationthat has been most extensively used by Americans for the last one hundredyears. (7). Satisfied chiropractic patients already know that DCs are uniquelytrained and experienced in diagnosing back problems and are the doctors mostskilled in using manipulation for the treatment of back pain and relateddisorders (8). As a public service, the American Chiropractic Association(ACA) urges you to make an informed choice about your back care. To learnmore about the federal government’s recommendations.

References:

1. Jensen M, Brant-Zawadzki M, Obuchowski N, et al. Magnetic ResonanceImaging of the Lumbar Spine in People Without Back Pain. N Engl J Med 1994;331: 69-116.

2. Vallfors B. Acute, Subacute and Chronic Low Back Pain: Clinical Symptoms,Absenteeism and Working Environment. Scan J Rehab Med Suppl 1985; 11: 1-98.

3. Finding from a national study conducted for the American ChiropracticAssociation. Risher P. Americans’ Perception of Practitioners and Treatmentsfor Back Problems. Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. New York: August, 1994.

4. This total represents only the more readily identifiable costs formedical care, workers compensation payments and time lost from work. It doesnot include costs associated with lost personal income due to acquired physicallimitation resulting from a back problem and lost employer productivity dueto employee medical absence. In Project Briefs: Back Pain Patient OutcomesAssessment Team (BOAT). In MEDTEP Update, Vol. 1 Issue 1, Agency for HealthCare Policy and Research, Rockville, MD, Summer 1994.

5. In Vallfors B, previously cited.

6. Bigos S, Bowyer O, Braen G, et al. Acute Low Back Problems in Adults.Clinical Practice Guideline No. 14. AHCPR Publication No. 95-0642. Rockville,MD: Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, U.S.Department of Health and Human Services, December, 1994.

7. The RAND Corporation reported from its analysis of spinal manipulationresearch literature that 94% of all spinal manipulation is performed by chiropractors,4% by osteopaths, and the remainder by medical doctors.

8. In Risher P, previously cited.