Considerations Surrounding the Efficacy of Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic care has become ubiquitous in the United States. Estimates vary, but it is widely believed that millions of people of all ages and walks of life rely on the relief afforded by chiropractors across the country. Yet, chiropractic care – as well as many other alternative and complementary medicines – remain the source of some consternation among professionals within the medical field. So, why the disconnect? If this industry is booming and millions of people find lasting relief from the care, why are doctors so hesitant to embrace chiropractic care?
While chiropractics have been around since the 19th century, it has really risen in popularity in recent decades. The issue, it seems, with chiropractics is how the patient views the service. Many people who suffer from chronic lower back pain, for example, report good results from visiting a chiropractor because manual therapy can loosen tight back muscles, improve flexibility in vertebral joints, help improve blood circulation, and reduce swelling, which can help mitigate short-term pain. In this instance, when chiropractics is viewed as a component of a treatment regimen for the source of pain, it might have its advantages. Many doctors, however, are leery of recommending chiropractics because the data simply isn’t there to substantiate claims about the overall efficacy of treatment. This can be explained for a number of reasons. For starters, everyone is different so the specific condition that they visit a chiropractor to address will similarly be different patient-to-patient. This makes it very hard to develop a sample of identical test subjects. Additionally, clinical tests rely on a placebo to validate results, which is hard to recreate in chiropractic care.
The point is that chiropractic care may very well deliver you the pain relief you require but it is important to research your options, speak with your doctor and chiropractor and make sure that you are making the right decision for your long-term health.
