Visit Frequency and Outcomes for Patients Using Ongoing Chiropractic Care for Chronic Low-Back and Neck Pain: An Observational Longitudinal Study

Patricia M Herman Sarah E EdgingtonMelony E SorberoEric L Hurwitz Christine M GoertzIan D Coulter

 

Methods:  Researchers looked at chiropractic visit frequency and patient reported outcomes in a large national sample of chiropractic patients with chronic neck and/or chronic low back pain.

Findings: A range of chiropractic visit frequencies (insert #’s) were correlated with the successful management of chronic pain, even in patients who appeared to have reached maximum therapeutic improvement.

Conclusion: The authors of this study propose that patients with long-term chronic low back pain and chronic neck pain patients may be able to successfully manage and/or slightly improve chronic pain levels while undergoing chiropractic care.

Implications: Results from this study provide an example of successful non-pharmacologic pain management using long-term chiropractic care. This information could potentially be used to inform future payer policy regarding reimbursement of such services.