Factors Associated with Choosing a Chiropractor for Episodes of Back Pain Care

This study, which analyzed health insurance data on the use of health services in the United States, found that chiropractors were the choice of one third of all patients who sought back care and who saw only one provider. From previous studies, it was found that approximately two thirds of all outpatient visits for back pain are made to chiropractors. Results of this study indicate that chiropractors were the primary provider for 40 percent of all episodes of back pain and were retained as primary provider by 92 percent of patients who had a second episode of back pain (vs. 75% for general practitioners).