Understanding Chiropractic
From the Michigan Chiropractic Society
Visit www.chiromi.com for up-to-date information.
All About Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the nervous, muscular and skeletal systems and the effects these disorders have on general patient health.
The Chiropractic Approach to Health Care
Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) begin with the principle that the human body has the power to maintain its own health. Chiropractic's goal is to maintain health naturally by using drugless, non-surgical health care to help the body better resist disease and heal trauma.
The Chiropractic Focus
Chiropractors focus on the musculoskeletal system and central nervous system, the vast network of cells that carry information to and from all parts of the body in order to bring about bodily activity. The brain sends messages through the spinal cord across a huge network of nerves to deliver information to every cell, organ and system in the body. This system coordinates such things as how well you sleep, how food is digested, the ability to concentrate, and all other aspects of body function.
When bones of the spine move out of their usual position and become misaligned, they may distort this flow of information, causing the body to function at less than its full potential. Chiropractors correct these misalignments – called "subluxations" – and get the information between the brain and the body flowing properly.
Chiropractic Care Is Unique
Chiropractic care consists of manipulation, or "adjustment,'" of the joints along the spine or in the extremities. The DC treats the subluxation by using his or her hands or a hand-held instrument. DCs generally treat patients for such maladies as:
- Spinal health care services;
- Headaches;
- Joint pain;
- Neck pain;
- Low-back pain; and,
- Sciatica.
DCs also treat osteoarthritis, tendonitis, muscle sprains, carpal tunnel syndrome, and a variety of other conditions.
Chiropractors Are Physicians
Chiropractors are considered to be primary care physicians and are highly educated to diagnose and treat patients.
The education received by chiropractors is very extensive, averaging more than 4,800 classroom and clinical hours.
The chiropractic program is very similar to medical school. Course work includes the study of such topics as anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, neurology, diagnosis, and radiology. Many people are surprised to learn that chiropractic students actually receive more class and study time in many of these important areas, such as anatomy and physiology, than their counterparts in medical school.
Prior to graduation, students complete several hundred clinical hours of actual patient management. Upon graduation, new DCs must pass state and national licensing board examinations before practicing. These examinations are equivalent to the examinations required by medical school graduates. Michigan further requires that chiropractors receive at least 24 hours of continuing education credits every two years to renew their licenses, ensuring that a high level of competency is maintained.
Chiropractors Are Physicians
Studies show that chiropractic is a safe, effective means of natural healing. Below are just some of these studies and their findings.
- The Manga Report recommended that management of low-back pain be moved from medical doctors to chiropractors. The report stated that there is evidence that patients are much more satisfied with chiropractic management of low-back pain than with medical physician management. It also found that injured workers with low-back pain returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by medical doctors.
- The British Medical Research Council conducted a 10-year study that showed that chiropractic care was significantly more effective than medical treatment for patients with chronic and severe pain.
- The Nevada Workers' Compensation Study found that loss of work time under chiropractic care is less than one-third of the time lost for medical care. The study also found that the average medical cost per patient was 260 percent higher than the average chiropractic cost.
Additional studies by noted chiropractic researcher BP Symons, the RAND Corporation and Duke University all found that cervical manipulation, when performed by a qualified, licensed DC, is extremely safe and effective. In fact, the Duke study said cervical spinal manipulation "has a very low risk of serious complications," which may be "one of its appeals over drug treatment."
The Federal government and the U.S. court system have also recognized chiropractic. The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) released guidelines stating that the risk of serious complications from lumbar spine manipulation is rare and that manipulation should be pursued before considering surgery:
In the case of Wilk v. American Medical Association, the court cited specific studies that showed that "chiropractors are twice as effective as medical physicians and physical therapists in the care and alleviation of neuro mechanical problems."
Chiropractic is Cost Effective
The total annual cost in the United States for health care and lost productivity related to low-back pain is estimated to be nearly $100 billion! Research indicates that low-back pain is the most expensive source of workers' compensation costs in North America.
Chiropractic care has been consistently identified as one of the most cost-effective treatments for the management of low-back conditions and many other disorders. The vast amount of scientific evidence makes a great case for the use of chiropractic as a means of controlling the rising costs of our overburdened health cart: system.
Highlights of chiropractic cost-effectiveness studies include:
- The Oakland University Study found that "patients who received chiropractic care incurred significantly lower health care costs than patients treated solely by medical or osteopathic physicians." Total insurance payments were 30 percent higher for patients who elected medical care only.
- The Manga Report found that ''There would be highly significant cost savings if more management of Iow-back pain was transferred from physicians to chiropractors. Users of chiropractic care have significantly lower health care costs, especially inpatient costs, than those who use medical care only."
- The Texas Chiropractic I Workers' Comp Report found that the average claim for a worker with a low-back injury was $15,884. If a chiropractor provided at least 90 percent of the care, however, the average cost declined by more than 50 percent, to $7,632.
- The Medicare Study found that chiropractic care has significantly reduced costs to the Medicare program and could potentially save the program even more in the future.
- The Utah Study compared the cost of chiropractic care to the cost of medical care for conditions with identical diagnostic codes and found that cost was almost 10 times higher for medical than for chiropractic claims. Also, the number of work days lost was nearly ten times higher for those who received medical care.
- The Florida Study showed that patients receiving chiropractic care rather than medical care had lower treatment costs by more than 50 percent.
Chiropractic is not "Outside the Mainstream"
- Chiropractic is now the third-largest primary health care profession in the world.
- A 1998 study cited in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that chiropractic is the most used non-medical treatment in the United States.
- A 1999 study conducted by Landmark Healthcare, Inc., found that coverage of chiropractic care is offered by nearly two-thirds of all HMOs.
- Widespread consumer use of chiropractic care and its documented effectiveness have led to major studies by governments throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and other areas of the world.
Chiropractic Techniques
- Diversified (95.9%). This is the most well-known chiropractic technique, involving quick, shallow thrusts that result in the cavitation of a joint, causing the popping noise commonly associated with chiropractic.
- Extremity manipulating/adjusting (95.5%). The manipulation of joints other than the spine
- Activator Methods (62.8%). A method where force is generated by a hand-held, spring-loaded instrument that delivers a lighter, but quicker, thrust than can be delivered by hand.
- Gonstead (58.5%). A variation of the Diversified technique that uses x-ray analysis, palpation and other studies in deciding what areas to adjust.
- Cox Flexion/Distraction (58.0%). A technique that uses a special table where the spine is tractioned and flexed forward.
- Thompson (55.9%). A method using a table with drop pieces that assist the thrust while minimizing the force used for the adjustment
- Sacro Occipital Technique (41.3%). A technique that uses triangular-shaped blocks, usually placed under the pelvis to treat low-back problems.
- Applied Kiniesiology (43.2%). An approach in which several techniques are combined.
- NIMMO/Receptor Tonus (40.0%). A technique based on the presumption that muscles are responsible for causing abnormal joint function. Pressure is applied to muscular trigger points, allowing the muscle to relax.
- Cranial (37.3%). A combination of several techniques using the application of chiropractic adjustment to the joints of the skull.
- Manipulative/Adjustive Instruments (34.5%). A technique, like the Activator Method, that uses instruments to deliver the adjustment to a patient.
- Manipulative/Adjustive Instruments (34.5%). A technique, like the Activator Method, that uses instruments to deliver the adjustment to a patient.
- Logan Basic (28.7%). A technique in which light pressure is applied to the sacrum and various spinal levels to reduce pain/symptoms and restore muscle balance.
- Meric (19.9%). This refers to clinical decision-making regarding what spinal levels to adjust.
- Pierce-Stillwagon (17.1 %). A technique that uses side-posture adjustment in the low back and prone adjustment in the cervical spine.