People have been searching for affordable chiropractic treatment for many years. Chiropractic is a treatment that manipulates the musculoskeletal system, mostly the spine. Unlike medications, injections, and surgery, chiropractic treatment helps reduce the need for added care, medical and is much more affordable.

A study published in 2019 reported that 95 patients were admitted to the Ontario Multidisciplinary Community Healthcare Center for sub-acute or chronic lower back pain. The report showed that 70% of the patients were given chiropractic care. They showed improvements from pain and disabilities at a cost of approximately $1,042. Since these patients did not need additional medical attention, chiropractic treatment reduced the cost of healthcare by $2,022 to $6,136 per patient.

Medicare Chiropractic Research

In 2021, researchers reviewed Medicare claims from approximately 28,160 older adults with chronic lower back pain. Long-term costs were much lower with patients that received chiropractic care vs opioid therapy. Further research showed that in addition to savings in cost, the study examined five years of Medicare claims. Seniors with chronic back pain are two times more likely to experience an escalation in healthcare and added expenses. This is due to their treatment including opioids vs spinal manipulative therapy.  Spinal manipulative therapy is the primary form of treatment provided by chiropractic doctors.

In 2022, a study showed that patients with spinal pain who saw a chiropractic doctor first were less likely to have an opioid prescription or injections. An analysis of Medicare data (2012 – 2016) revealed that older adults with spinal pain who first consulted a chiropractic doctor were 56% less likely to take opioid prescriptions the following year. Besides, lower costs due to saving on medications, advanced imaging, and more invasive procedures, patients did not need these services. They also reduced the risk of potential side effects, unfavorable conditions, or further complications.

Conclusion

The bottom line, chiropractic treatment has helped patients with lower back pain get out of pain. They are back to their normal lives in a much shorter period of time. Chiropractic care has also reduced patients’ need for any additional healthcare services which has resulted in huge savings for patients and healthcare systems as well.