1 - Saving Money on your Overall Health Care Costs
Thirty-one million Americans have lower back pain at any given time. One half of all working Americans admit to having back symptoms each year. One third of all Americans over age 18 had a back problem in the past five years severe enough for them to seek professional help. And the cost of this care is estimated to be a staggering $50 Billion yearly - and that's just for the more easily identified costs!

A study performed by the researchers from American Specialty Health and Health Benchmarks, Inc showed that many people substituted less expensive chiropractic care for more expensive medical care. This resulted in a decreased use of high cost procedures. The result was that the use of chiropractic care resulted in a reduction in the overall health care expenditures.

2 - Chiropractic Shows High Patient Satisfaction with Back & Neck Problems
A research journal, the “Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics” published a study that showed high levels of patient satisfaction for those who went to chiropractors with what was classified as severe to moderate pain in either the back or neck. A total of 369 patients were sampled who had gone to chiropractors with these problems. These individuals were asked to complete surveys tracking all kinds of information from the type and severity of their problem to their level of satisfaction with care.

The results showed a very positive response from the study group in both the results they felt and their overall level of satisfaction with their care. The results of the published study summed it up best; “Based on the results of this survey, it seems that patients suffering from back and or neck complaints experience chiropractic care as an effective means of resolving or ameliorating pain and functional impairments. Moreover, the patients surveyed demonstrated a high degree of satisfaction with the care they received. Numerous other studies have demonstrated that chiropractic is as effective, if not more effective than conventional medical management of such complaints.”

3 - Chiropractic Care for Treatment of Migraines
From the August 3, 2003 issue of the Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journal, Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, comes a documented case study of a professional ice skater who had suffered from chronic migraine headaches. The study reports that when she was 23 years old and a professional skater she had sustained a concussion by hitting her head against the ice in a fall. Prior to her fall and concussion, she exhibited no health problems. Following the concussion, she suffered with tension and migraine headaches. These symptoms persisted over the next twelve years, during which time she utilized daily pain medications.

At age 35 she decided to initiate chiropractic care. The study notes that the initial examination showed evidence of subluxation in the upper neck (cervical spine) . The results were monitored by the doctor’s observation, patient’s subjective description of symptoms, and thermographic scans. Following three months of care all headaches were gone. After a one year follow up the patient still remained headache free.

The study's conclusion noted, "The onset of the symptoms following the patient’s fall on her head; the immediate reduction in symptoms correlating with the initiation of care; and the complete absence of all symptoms within three months of care; suggest a link between the patient’s concussion, the upper cervical subluxation, and her headaches.

4 - Chiropractic Adjustments Ease Pain and Discomfort with Pregnancy
Because of the additional weight and stress on the framework of the body in pregnant women, chiropractic adjustments can help lower the incidence of pain in the low back and legs, and between the shoulder blades. In some cases, fewer headaches and problems with nausea and elimination may also result. Many chiropractors care for expectant mothers in the regular course of their daily practices.

Most importantly is that chiropractic helps the expecting mother by improving nerve system function. Chiropractic has been based for over 100 years on correcting interference to the nervous system known as subluxations. With a properly functioning nerve system free of subluxations it is easy to see how many aspects of this important time for an expectant mother will be made easier. Many women rely on chiropractic care as a regular part of their pre-natal routine.

5 - Chiropractic Treatment for Tension and General Headaches
According to the American Chiropractic Association 14% of the public who see chiropractors presently go for headaches. For these patients the good news has gotten even better. Researchers at Northwestern College of Chiropractic in Minnesota, compared chiropractic care to certain drug therapies used for tension and migraine headaches.

The study, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, followed 218 headache sufferers who were given either chiropractic care or drug therapy or both. Pain was reduced 40 – 50% in all groups initially. However, four weeks after all care was stopped, only the chiropractic group still retained the benefits, while those who received the drug therapy lost about half of their improvement.

6 - Chiropractic Treatment is Covered by Many Health Insurance Plans
Fox News and Reuters December 14th, 1999, reported that US employers were sweetening their health benefit packages in order to keep workers happy in this tight labor market. One of the things that have been added was chiropractic coverage. In 1999, coverage for chiropractic was offered by 78% of employer health plans. This represents a jump of 17% in that year alone. The study was conducted by a New York based consulting firm, William M. Mercer Inc.

7 - Back Surgery Shoud Be a Last Resort and Is Not very Successful
According to a story from the April, 8, 2002 issue of the New Yorker online magazine "Fact", the results of back surgeries performed over the years have been much less than expected. The article starts by asking the question, "Is surgery the best approach to chronic back pain?" It then goes on to state, "Last year, approximately a hundred and fifty thousand lower-lumbar spinal fusions were performed in the United States."

When asked about the chances for success with spinal surgery, Dr. Eugene Carragee, at Stanford, who says he performs the operation only on a select group of patients who have been carefully screened, estimates that less than a quarter of the operations will be completely successful. For the majority of patients, the surgery does not have a dramatic impact on either their pain or their mobility. He concludes, that the patient's prospects for a future that is free from back pain is fairly poor.

8 - Studies Show Chiropractic Care is More Cost Effective than Traditional Care
Blue Cross/Blue Shield (BCBS) of Kansas in August 1999, presented a study titled "Lumbago Treatment." The information for this study was gathered from a program called the McKesson Episode Profiler. This data program allowed BCBS to sort the health care statistics of different types of doctors as well as the types of conditions that were listed on the insurance claim forms. Using this information BCBS could determine the cost and effectiveness for chiropractic with what they termed "Lumbago".

The results showed that 38 percent of the patients chose to seek chiropractic care rather than medical care. This was in contrast to the fact that less than eight percent of the doctors in the study were chiropractors. This showed that it took fewer chiropractors to care for more people.

The results showed that chiropractic was more cost-effective than anesthesiology; neurosurgery; neurology; registered physical therapy; orthopedic reconstructive surgery; physical medicine and rehabilitation; and rheumatology. The study also showed that most of the chiropractic expenses 89%, were related directly to patient care, while only 45 percent of the medical costs were related to treatment of the condition with remainder of the costs being for diagnostic procedures.

Additionally, the study deliberately excluded any costs for hospitalization, surgery, or any fees paid to orthopedists or neurosurgeons for costs associated with surgery. Without these additional costs being included in the study, the costs related to medical care were reported much lower than they actually were, and the savings from chiropractic care was actually much larger.

This study confirmed what many others have in the past. Patients suffering from back problems are in much better, and cost effective hands with chiropractic care.

9 - US Military Personnel Receive Chiropractic Care Benefits
An Associated Press story of Nov. 26, 2000, reports on legislation passed by the US Congress that mandates that chiropractic care be made available to all active-duty personnel in the United States armed forces. Prior to the bill passage personnel in the military had to pay for chiropractic services out of their own pockets. When this bill is implemented, military personnel will be able to receive chiropractic care just as they do the medical care they receive without any out of pocket expense.

Pvt. Robert Zemla, who started having back pains from a car accident and decided to go to a chiropractor, is one soldier excited about the news. "All the military doctors do is give you painkillers and tell you to take (physical therapy) at your own pace," the 27-year-old private stated. "I wanted to feel some real relief."

The program will be phased in over a 5 year period. How it will exactly work depends on the US Department of Defense implementation plan, yet to be released.

10 - Chiropractic Effective for Treatment of Whiplash Injuries
An article published in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine in 1999 pointed out the superiority of chiropractic care for patients suffering from long term whiplash. The authors of the article noted that a previous study had shown that 26 of 28 patients, or 93 percent, of patients with chronic whiplash benefited from chiropractic care. In the authors own study, they interviewed 100 consecutive chiropractic referrals of patients with chronic whiplash. Their results also showed that of the 93 patients who remained in the study, 69 of them, or 74 percent, found improvement. The researchers concluded their opening comments with the statement, “The results from this study provide further evidence that chiropractic is an effective treatment for chronic whiplash symptoms.”