On June 16, 2009, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius submitted a report to Congress, evaluating chiropractic services under Medicare. A survey was conducted of 3,464 people seeking chiropractic care for pain and/or difficulty walking, whose symptoms were described as severe or very severe, with 2/3 of those patients reporting that their symptoms “interfered considerably” in their usual daily activities. They were treated with chiropractic adjustments and various physical therapy modalities like EMS, ultrasound, ice and heat.
The astonishing results (to those outside chiropractic, anyway) were as follows: of the approximately 2500 people who responded to the survey, 60% of the respondents got “complete” or “a lot” of symptomatic
relief from chiropractic care, with 87% reporting a satisfaction rating of 8, 9, or 10. The patients who received “moderate” or “complete” relief from treatment by other strategies, like pills, injections, or
surgery was – 11%.
If my math is right, then it’s about five times more likely that a patient suffering from severe neuro-musculo-skeletal symptoms will respond to chiropractic care than any other discipline. If I was suffering from severe neuro-musculo-skeletal symptoms, I think I’d want to know that. Put aside the likelihood of iatrogenic consequences and side effects, or the cost-effectiveness, let’s just look at these outcomes for a second.
If you were hurting, wouldn’t you want the approach that gave five times better results? Dr. Narson comments, “Chiropractic is clearly validated as an effective form of treatment for those with neuro-musculo-skeletal conditions such as back pain, neck pain, hip pain and shoulder pain. It’s time that the medical profession – welcomes chiropractic physicians as partners in the treatment of these conditions for the – benefit of the patient.
Once organic disease is ruled out, ALL neuro-musculo-skeletal – pain patients should be referred first for
chiropractic evaluation and care. This report to Congress clearly shows this as an emerging standard of
care and an integrated approach with this understanding would clearly benefit the patient.”
To save money and get better results try all natural, wellness care interventions first. No harm is done and according to this study better results occur. Until next time, Be Well!
Chiropractic saves patients money by reducing their need for pain medication. Many drugs merely mask pain without addressing its underlying cause. Chiropractic goes to the root of the problem, helping patients live pain-free without the use of medication.
Have you ever estimated how much money your family spends on pain medication per year? If not, calculate it now. (Take care to include over-the-counter drug costs, which alone can reach monumental sums.) Chances are you’re spending more on covering up your pain with drugs than it would cost to treat your family to a year’s worth of preventative chiropractic care!