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Overwhelming Evidence Shows Chiropractic Is Effective for Pain Reduction and Restoration of Function
Numerous studies throughout the world have shown that chiropractic treatment, including manipulative therapy and spinal
adjustments, is both safe and effective. Many other studies have reported chiropractic care to be a cost-effective remedy
that brings healing in less time than other treatments.
The following are excerpts from just a few of these studies:
For Acute Low-Back Problems
“For patients with acute low-back symptoms without
radiculopathy, the scientific evidence suggests spinal manipulation is effective in reducing pain and perhaps speeding recovery
within the first month of symptoms.” — Clinical Practice Guidelines, AHCPR (1994)
For
Long-Term Low-Back Problems
“There is strong evidence that manipulation is more effective than a
placebo treatment for chronic low-back pain or than usual care by the general practitioner, bed rest, analgesics and massage.”
— Spine, Van Tulder and Bouter et al. (1997)
“Manipulative therapy and physiotherapy are
better than general practitioner and placebo treatment. Furthermore, manipulative therapy is slightly better than physiotherapy
after 12 months.” — British Medical Journal, Koes et al. (1992)
For Pain
“...patients suffering from back and/or neck complaints experience chiropractic care as an effective means of
resolving or ameliorating pain and functional impairments, thus reinforcing previous results showing the benefits of chiropractic
treatment for back and neck pain.” — Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Verhoef et al.
(1997)
“...for the management of low-back pain, chiropractic care is the most effective treatment, and
it should be fully integrated into the government’s health care system.” — The Manga Report (1993)
For Headaches
“Cervical spine manipulation was associated with significant improvement
in headache outcomes in trials involving patients with neck pain and/or neck dysfunction and headache.” —
Duke Evidence Report, McCrory, Penzlen, Hasselblad, Gray (2001)
“The results of this study show that
spinal manipulative therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches…Four weeks after cessation of treatment…the
patients who received spinal manipulative therapy experienced a sustained therapeutic benefit in all major outcomes in contrast
to the patients that received amitriptyline therapy, who reverted to baseline values.” — Journal of Manipulative
and Physiological Therapeutics, Boline et al. (1995)
For the Elderly
“[Elderly] chiropractic
users were less likely to have been hospitalized, less likely to have used a nursing home, more likely to report a better
health status, more likely to exercise vigorously, and more likely to be mobile in the community. In addition, they were less
likely to use prescription drugs.” — Topics in Clinical Chiropractic, Coulter et al. (1996)
For Containing Costs and Getting Workers Back on the Job
“Findings from this analysis of the Florida
DWC claims and medical files indicated that considerable cost savings and more efficient claims resolution may be possible
with greater involvement of chiropractic treatment in specific low back cases and other specific musculoskeletal cases.”
— MGT of America (2002)
“The overwhelming body of evidence” shows that chiropractic management
of low-back pain is more cost-effective than medical management, and that “many medical therapies are of questionable
validity or are clearly inadequate.” — The Manga Report (1993)
First contact chiropractic care
for common low back conditions costs substantially less than traditional medical treatment and “deserves careful consideration”
by managed care executives concerned with controlling health care spending. — Medical Care, Stano and Smith (1996)
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