Journal of Health Care and Research

Journal of Health Care and Research

Ndetan H^1*, Hawk C¹, Evans W¹, Tanue T¹, Singh K^1
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Texas, Health Science Center at Tyler, Tyler, USA

Corresponding Author: Harrison Ndetan, PhD ^{ORCID ID}
Address: Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The University of Texas, Health Science Center at Tyler, 11937 US HWY 271, Tyler, TX 75708, USA.
Received date: 12 June 2020; Accepted date: 11 July 2020; Published date: 25 July 2020

Citation: Ndetan H, Hawk C, Evans W, Tanue T, Singh K. Chiropractic Care for Spine Conditions: Analysis of National Health Interview Survey. J Health Care and Research. 2020 Jul 25;1(2):105-18.

Copyright © 2020 Ndetan H, Hawk C, Evans W, Tanue T, Singh K. This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords: Chiropractic, Primary Care, Neck Pain, Spine Health Services Research

Abstract

Objective: To estimate the use of chiropractic care and perceived value for spinal conditions.
Methods: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from the Sample Adult for 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012 and the Adult Alternative Medicine for 2002, 2007, and 2012 files were analyzed. National Population Estimates (NPE) was generated by applying the complete survey design structure. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were generated to explore the likelihood that the respondents reporting spine-related problems would see Doctors of Chiropractic (DC) or other providers compared to those reporting no spine-related problems.
Results: Reported use of chiropractic increased from 7.61% in 1997 to 10.11% in 2012 (p-value<0.001); the NPE increased by 8,023,162 adults. The OR of seeing a DC among those with the spine-related complaint was significantly higher (ranging over time from 4.31 to 3.09) than other providers, except in 2012 in which physical therapists were highest. For respondents reporting spine-related complaints, the OR was 2.40 (95%CI=1.28-4.50) for using chiropractic compared to osteopathic manipulation. Respondents with spine-related conditions were more likely to have a DC as their personal healthcare provider [OR(95%CI=3.48(2.60-4.65)]. Over 96% of those who did reported that it helped and were less likely to report using prescription medication [OR(95%CI) = 0.44(0.35-0.55)], over-the-counter medication [OR(95%CI) = 0.80(0.65-0.99)], surgery [OR(95%CI) = 0.35(0.23-0.52)], or physical therapy [OR(95%CI)=0.50(0.40-0.63)]. They were less likely to report receiving a recommendation from a medical doctor to seek chiropractic manipulation [n=224 (19.15%); OR(95%CI=0.49(0.39-0.62)].
Conclusion: The general use of chiropractic in the United States is slowly increasing but utilization is still low compared to that of primary care providers like MDs and NPs. A majority of NHIS 2012 respondents with spine-related problems used chiropractic manipulation for treatment and those who did were more likely to report that it helped and less likely to report using prescription and over-the-counter medications, surgery or physical therapy. Yet chiropractic care was hardly being recommended by medical doctors.