The Outcomes and Costs of Care for Acute Low Back Pain Among Patients Seen By Primary Care Practitioners, Chiropractors, and Orthopedic Surgeons

This study found that low back pain patients whose primary provider was a chiropractor were significantly more satisfied with their care than patients whose primary care provider was a medical doctor, orthopedic surgeon or HMO provider. Patients of chiropractors (in comparison to the others listed above) more frequently responded that the information they received was excellent (47.1% vs. 30.3%), that a careful examination of their back was undertaken (96.1% vs. 79.9%), that the cause of their problem was clearly explained (93.6% vs. 74.6%) and that their satisfaction with the treatment of their back problem was excellent (52.1% vs. 31.5%).