Study Finds Chiropractic Care More Helpful Than NSAIDs

Experts estimate that 80 percent of Americans will experience low-back pain at some point in their lives, and research again finds chiropractic care to be a more effective treatment for that pain. A recent study, jointly conducted by the Competence Center for Clinical Studies and the Institute for Biometrics in Bremen, Germany, compared 101 patients with low-back pain to judge the therapeutic value of spinal adjustments (the most common form of treatment provided by chiropractors) versus treatment with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The rigorous, double-blind study split patients into three groups; a control group receiving placebo treatments, patients given controlled spinal adjustments, and a group treated with a commonly prescribed NSAID, diclofenac. Analysis of the resultant data concluded that the chiropractic spinal adjustment group experienced a significantly higher rate of relief than the NSAID or control groups. In the past, studies have also found chiropractic care to be less expensive than medical treatment. It is now estimated that medical costs for back pain in the US exceed $50 billion a year.