Chiropractic Finally Gets Its Comeuppance
I’m here to say that most Chiropractors are the good guys. We train hard, we study, we learn a wealth of information and digest it to the top standard. We’ve come a long way from the pseudo-quacks and the snake oil salesmen that previous generations became known for. Modern Chiropractic is about evidence, is making heads turn with great patient-centred care, and is FINALLY getting some recognition for our efforts to improve our public image.
Oh, and let’s not forget about the results.
The old guard, the Medical fraternity at large (and keepers of the guild all things health related) has very slowly come to the realization that the musculoskeletal world is more than a quick John Hancock for strong pain killers. The blatant over prescription of these heavy drugs — coined ‘ the opioid epidemic’ — has led many leading medical groups to emphasize the importance of conservative care for low back and neck pain.
In a ringing endorsement and a signal the guard was changing, the world’s largest medical society, the American College of Physicians, updated its low back treatment guide in 2017 to support conservative options, such as Chiropractic care. In a word, HUGE! As a stand alone healthcare discipline, and the third largest body of doctors in the USA, we’re not necessarily in need of this pat on the back recognition. But it definitely helps get the word out there that, indeed, we can help.
The guidelines were published in the prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine and have been adopted by many leading healthcare organizations. The low-key reason I’m ecstatic about this is that we’re finally getting our comeuppance. Medical doctors have maligned our profession from Day 1, and in many cases the stigma still exists. Tongue in cheek jokes like “you’re not a ‘real’ doctor though” and “can’t anyone go to chiropractic school?” still exist. But I’ll chalk this one down as a win. It shows that we’re moving the needle, and our focus on clinical results is making minds change.
Medical guidelines are now emphasizing that patients should only move to take Ibuprofen (NSAIDs) or muscle relaxants if other conservative options aren’t helping. New research has shown that medications such as acetaminophen are not very good at providing relief, and in many cases, aren’t even as effective as a placebo. Chiropractors have been drumming this beat for a very long time, and again, the system has finally shown some clear evidence in support.
Probably the biggest feather in our cap came from The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, which recommended spinal adjustments as the only safe, effective, and drugless initial treatment for back pain. Equally pleasant, a new article from the American Medical Association suggested Chiropractic as the preferred option for people with back pain. Chiropractic regularly appears in the top 10% of patient satisfaction surveys, a testament to our patient-centred approach. Chiropractic and back pain have been associated together forever, and this evidence further cements the connection.
More evidence is being cranked out almost monthly. The journal ‘SPINE’ found nearly 75% of patients had significant improvement in their back pain with Chiropractic care, compared to only 17% who had medical care alone. This vis-a-vis comparison is obviously nuanced, but once more highlights Chiropractic as a back pain specialty.
It actually makes me glad to see medical doctors and Chiropractors working together to help patients get well and stay well. For over 100 years, Chiropractors have been focused on providing effective, safe, and natural healthcare solutions. We’ve been dedicated to similar causes as our Medico brethren, but for some reason, it’s taken a long path to forge these alliances. Due to the higher visibility of the risks and dangers of medications and surgery, the medical community has finally begun to support conservative options such as Chiropractic, that take a patient-first approach to care.
We all uphold the Hippocratic Oath as a healthcare ecosystem. The time has come to continue working together for the betterment of everyone suffering.
Works Cited:
Adding Chiropractic Manipulative Therapy to Standard Medical Care for Patients with Acute Low Back Pain: The Results of a Pragmatic Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Study! SPINE Volume 38, Number 8: 627–634 @2013
Acute Low Back Problems in Adults. Clinical Practice Guideline №14. AHCPR Publication №95–0642 Low Back Pain. JAMA. 2013; 309(16):1738
