F4CP affirms findings of new neck pain study

The Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a not-for-profit organization educating the public about the benefits of chiropractic care, highlights a new study published in Spine showing a plurality of patients with new-onset neck pain first visited a DC. The study, “ Longitudinal Care Patterns and Utilization Among Patients with New-Onset Neck Pain by Initial Provider Specialty ” is the first to examine which provider patients visit first specifically to manage new neck pain and how that influences the other care services accessed. Results show that DCs, who are commonly associated with back pain, are most often a patient’s first choice for neck pain, based on an analysis of health plan claims from 770,326 patients over three years. In adherence to those guidelines, DCs were chosen first by 45.2% of patients with neck pain, followed by allopathic or osteopathic primary care doctors (33.4%). Other physician specialties, including orthopedists, neurologists and emergency physicians were also sought first to manage neck pain although less often, according to the study.