When it comes to
treating patients, I have a pretty simple philosophy: Do what is best for the
patient and their particular condition.
Whether this is treating them with chiropractic, or referring them to
another provider to receive medical care, acupuncture, physical therapy or any
number of other types of treatment. I
always recommend what I believe the patient needs in order to best help them achieve
their goals (getting out of pain, maintaining their health and the health of
their joints, etc...).
One of the most common statements that we hear from our
patients is, "I HAVE to be able to work, so get me out of pain as soon as
you can!" We do our best, and
typically have great success helping these people get out of pain and back to
work.
Then, the important
part starts. I try to teach people the
old saying, "An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of
cure!" Once you're out of pain and
back to work, do you want to just wait until the pain comes back??? Or, do you want to be proactive and keep that
pain away?
I could ramble on and on about how awesome chiropractic is
and how it will help keep you out of pain and how it is much more cost
effective than most other forms of treatment/prevention, but...I prefer to let
studies and research speak for me on this topic.
Here are a few studies that outline the effectiveness of
chiropractic when it comes to getting people back to work (and preventing
further missed work days):
STUDY 1
Chiropractic-Therapeutical Effectiveness-Social Importance,
Incidence of Absence from Work and Hospitalization Survey on a Sample of 17,
142 patients, Italy, 1987, Professor F. Splendori.
“The results of
our survey presented herein, are clear and incontrovertible: our sample
population of over seventeen thousand patients treated with chiropractic for at
least two years showed that this treatment could lead to 55-75% reduction in
the number of daily absences from work and could cut down the number of hospitalized
patients by 87.60 % vis-à-vis other currently used forms of treatment
(pharmacological, physiokinesiotherapeutic, surgical, etc.)…….
STUDY 2
Jarvis, K.B., Phillips, R.B., et al. “Cost per Case
Comparison of Back Injury Claims of Chiropractic versus Medical Management for
Conditions with Identical Diagnostic Codes,” Journal of Occupational Medicine,
August 1991, Volume 33, Number 8, Pages 847-52.
This study showed
that the number of work days lost was nearly 10 times greater for those using
medical treatments than for those using chiropractic care for the same
condition.
STUDY 3
Wolk, S. “Chiropractic versus Medical Care: A Cost Analysis
of Disability and Treatment for Back-Related Workers’ Compensation Cases.”
Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research, Arlington, Virginia,
September 1988.
This study
highlighted the fact that chiropractic treatment (for workers compensation
cases) is not only faster, but much more effective in the treatment of back
conditions.
Whether it's treating back pain that is currently active or
preventing back pain and surgeries, these studies show how effective
chiropractic care can be. If you’re struggling with back pain in Salt Lake
City, come to our chiropractic clinic for help.
~ Dr. Michael Hill
