A study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found that 63 percent of people who visited a rheumatologist for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia conditions, also sought some form of “complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).” Chiropractic was not only the most sought after form of CAM for those patients, but it was also among those found to be most helpful for these conditions. Of patients who had tried chiropractic care, 73 percent found it to be helpful. Of the rheumatologists managing these patients, 71 percent agreed with the use of chiropractic care to manage their pain. The reasons why these patients chose chiropractic was to control pain and because their prescribed medication was not working.
With such a high percentage of regular adult arthritic patients using chiropractic, one has to wonder if this trend shouldn’t be considered by the health-care establishment and the insurance companies who set policy about what they will and won’t pay for. If patients find another form of care helpful, particularly if their prescribed medications aren’t working, shouldn’t it be reimbursed? For further information regarding arthritic pain and chiropractic care, please go to Chiroweb.com, DynamicChiropractic.com, and/or e-mail Dr. Spaulding at cspauldingchiro@gamil.com.
The Spinal Column – Arthritic patients choose chiropractic
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