According to a survey published in the Journal of the American MedicalAssociation in 1998, approximately 11% of the population has visited a chiropractor within the last year. Considering the number of people in the United State this equates to more than 31 million people who use a chiropractor every single year.(1) This information is not surprising considering statistics which indicate that nearly 80% of people suffer from back pain at some time in their lives.(1)
Although medical and health care costs have often seemed to outpace inflation, in recent years increases in the cost of medical treatment and prescription drugs seem to be soaring out of control. To contain these costs, discount plans such as Ameriplan® USA offer a network of chiropractic providers. They connect the providers with a large number of consumers and get the lower rate for services. It is no wonder many people suffering from back pain, headaches, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and more are searching for a safe and effective supplement to other types of medical treatment. In fact, the Agency for Health CarePolicy and Research, an organization of the federal government, has even recommended that those with low back pain choose conservative treatment first. The agency recommended spinal manipulation as the only safe and effective drug free form of initial treatment for acute low back problems in adults.(2)
Chiropractic care has been around for thousands of years but within the last twenty years or so has really begun to gain widespread recognition and acceptance among the medical community. Chiropractic treatment utilizes natural methods of health care and does not treat using pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures. Chiropractic procedures include manipulation of the articulations and adjacent tissues of the body with a focus on the spine.(3)
A few of the benefits of Chiropractic treatment include:
1. Conservative treatment without drugs or invasive surgical procedures.
2. The ability to treat a variety of conditions including: headaches.Neck pain, low back pain, joint pain, sciatica, spinal disk conditions,tendonitis, strains and sprain. In addition, Doctors of Chiropractic aretrained to treat a variety of other conditions including: allergies,asthma, digestive disorders, and otitis media. (1)
3. Chiropractic physicians are now considered to be physicians underMedicare and in most States and thus treat with such will likely becovered under most health insurance plans.
4. Chiropractic treatments for low back conditions often costconsiderably less than traditional treatments involving medications orinvasive surgical procedures.
If you are looking for an effective, safe alternative to or supplement to traditional pharmacological or invasive medicine for back pain or other health conditions then maybe chiropractic treatment will be right for you. Of course, you should always consult with your personal physician before taking any health action. For more information about chiropractic treatment you can contact the Federation of ChiropracticLicensing Boards (FCLB) for more information at 970-356-3500.
1. American Chiropractic Association
2. 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 HealthService, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, December, 1994.
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