Study Reveals Chiropractic Use According to Region

When you need a health boost do you turn to your vitamins? A chiropractor? Or a session of yoga? The answer to that question may depend on where you live, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The study points to clear regional differences in American preferences for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies. If you live in the Pacific West or New England, you’re significantly more likely to use yoga as a preventive health strategy compared to the rest of the country. For those in the Midwest and Central America, chiropractors and osteopaths are your principle source of alternative care. And if you live in the South or East Coast, you’re less likely than the average American to seek any CAM therapy at all.

Researchers analyzed results from a supplement of the 2012 National Health Information Survey which evaluated CAM healthcare utilization in 34,525 adults. The participants were asked about their use of 18 different types of CAM therapies including massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, biofeedback therapy, meditation, yoga, and more. The U.S. national averages show:

• 8.5% of Americans reported seeing a chiropractor or osteopath in the previous year
• 8.4% practiced yoga
• 6.4% received massage therapy
• 17.9% of American adults used vitamins or non-minerals, double the percentage of the second and third most popular CAM therapies (chiropractic/osteopathy and yoga)

While the use of chiropractic has remained relatively stable since the 2007 CDC study on CAM usage, the percentage of Americans using yoga has nearly tripled (6.1% in 2007 compared to nearly 18% today). That was even after researchers revised the questionnaire in 2012 to reduce the possibility for false positives.

“Environmental and cultural factors unique to towns, regions, and economic factors have long been linked to differences in health behaviors and general health measures in the U.S. population,” the study authors wrote. It’s possible that CAM therapies may be more accepted and available near urban areas compared to rural regions.

Chiropractic usage could also vary according to age. A study published last year showed that chiropractic and massage therapies are among the most sought-after CAM therapies among older adults.

References

Regional Variations in Complementary Health Approaches by U.S. Adults. NCHS Data Brief. CDC. April 2014. 

National Health Statistics Report. CDC. December 2008. 

Written by: Marissa Luck 

Back Pain Leading Cause of Global Disability

Nearly everyone suffers from back pain at some point in their lives, but for almost 1 in 10 people, back pain is a chronic, daily concern. The widespread prevalence of lower back pain makes it the leading cause of disability worldwide, according to a new analysis from the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.

The study included data from 47 countries and 117 different studies, which surveyed the effects of 291 conditions in the Global Burden of Disease 2010 Study. Researchers discovered that lower back pain is the number one source of lost years due to  disability, calculated by years living with the debilitating condition. Overall, low-back pain (LBP) is the sixth condition in terms of overall global burden.

Between 1990 to 2010, the number of people with lower back pain increased by 58.2 million, affecting 9.4% of the world population. The condition is most prevalent in Western Europe, and the least prevalent in the Caribbean and Latin America, according to Time.com.

“With an ageing population, there is an urgent need for further research to better understand LBP across different settings, ” the study authors concluded.

Most cases of lower back pain can be resolved through non-invasive, drug-free methods, including exercise and chiropractic care. Back pain has a number of potential causes, from a pinched nerve to a muscle strain, or simply sitting at a desk too long. Chiropractors are specially trained in diagnosing and treating back pain, so they can determine the best drug-free treatment methods for you. Research shows that chiropractic can effectively ease chronic back pain, and prevent it from recurring in the future.

References

Hoy, D. The global burden of low back pain: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study. Annals of  Rheumatic  Disease  doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-204428.

Sifferlin, Alexandra. This is the no.1 cause of disability worldwide. Time. March 25, 2014. http://time.com/36242/lower-back-pain-is-no-1-cause-of-disability-worldwide.

Written by: Marissa Luck