10 Research-Based Chiropractic Facts That'll Win Over the Biggest Skeptics

Despite how far chiropractic care has come over the past century, there is still a large portion of people who don't “believe” in its effectiveness despite numerous research studies and major health care organizations supporting it’s use.. It's still considered a pseudoscience for many. Even though scores of people sing its praises, touting actual, personal results, some are just hard to convince.

When you tell someone you are a chiropractor, you likely get a variety of reactions - and not all of them good ones. But why?

Cracking Skepticism About Chiropractic

According to a 2006 Gallup poll, chiropractor got rated very last in a list of medical professionals when it came to people's impressions about their ethics and honesty.

And, according to a poll done by Gallup in conjunction with Palmer College of Chiropractic, 22% of Americans stated that they would be "not very likely" to see a chiropractor for back or neck pain, and 18% said they would be "not likely at all."

Due to several reasons, there is still some stigma against chiropractic care in our country and around the world.

Some of it is due to fear. Much of it is because people are not well-informed about chiropractic care.

Fortunately, in recent years, more and more chiropractors and their patients are participating in studies and research. As these things grow and develop, several irrefutable chiropractic facts have emerged. Some benefits have been scientifically proven, far beyond the simple anecdotal evidence of the past.

More and more people are beginning to feel more confident about chiropractic methods and treatments, and as a result, people are starting to flock to chiropractors nationwide in search of relief from pain. In many cases, they are getting the relief that they seek.

There are still doubters out there, though. When you encounter one, it is now easier than ever to prove that chiropractic is real, is effective, and is here to stay. Read on to learn ten chiropractic facts to win over the skeptics you meet.

Research-Based Chiropractic Facts

Thanks to diligent and curious researchers, there is a ton of publications supporting chiropractic care.

1. Military Study

According to one recent study, chiropractic care was effective in helping people suffering from lower back pain when included in a comprehensive treatment plan. 

750 active-duty military patients enrolled in a study last year to treat lower back pain. Lower back pain is common in the military, and can often result in absences from duty. Participants in the study received regular medical care, including pain medications, physical therapy, and exercises, or that same treatment plus chiropractic care.

The participants received the treatment for six weeks and then were tracked for another six weeks. Researchers found that at every step along the way, the patients receiving the chiropractic care were doing better. Their pain was less frequent and less intense.

2. Comparative Effectiveness

Another study, cited by the American Chiropractic Association on their webpage, found that when chiropractic care was compared with medical care, chiropractic care was more effective. That study, published in Spine, found that 94% of chiropractic patients experienced a 30% reduction in their pain, compared to only 54% of the patients who only received traditional medical care. 

3. Neck Pain

Both the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash of 1995 and the Bone and Joint Decade Neck Pain Task Force of 2008 agreed that chiropractic care is often beneficial for people who have non-specific neck pain. Besides back pain, neck pain is the second largest cause of musculoskeletal disability, and many people seek relief from it around the world. 

4. Headaches

Although for a long time, many many headaches were thought to be tension headaches or migraines, but the International Headache Society now recognizes that most headaches are cervicogenic. Cervicogenic pain is pain that radiates from the neck into the head. The International Headache Society reports that chiropractic care is often helpful in treating these types of headaches. 

5. Back Pain

According to an article published by Gallup in 2016, 65% of American adults have sought care for neck or back pain in their lifetimes, and 25% did so in the past year. 35.5 million adults visited a chiropractor for their pain in the past year, too. 67% of the people that Gallup surveyed about the chiropractic care found it to be effective. 

6. More Positive Feedback

In a Consumer Reports survey published in Consumer Reports magazine in March of 2013, chiropractic care was the number one best way to take care of back pain, according to consumers. It beat out prescription medication, deep-tissue massage, and more.

7. Licensing

Chiropractors are trained and licensed, just like other medical professionals. To become licensed, they must earn a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree, which takes four years after at least three years of undergraduate work.

They also must pass the challenging National Board of Chiropractic Examiners exam and must receive a state license. Once licensed, they must complete continuing education requirements each year throughout their career. 

8. Joint Commission

In 2015, the Joint Commission, the organization that provides and reviews the accreditation of over 20,000 health care systems in our country, added chiropractic and other non-drug care to its pain management standard. This was a huge move that helped to legitimize this discipline nationwide.  

9. Medicare and Medicaid

Congress took this as a good sign. Soon after this declaration by the Joint Commission, coverage for chiropractic services was added to both national Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

10. Congress On Board

Furthermore, Congress went a step further with their overall faith in chiropractic care. After adding chiropractic services to Medicare and Medicaid, they also added it to their congressional health plan. All members of Congress are covered for chiropractic, and many of them see chiropractors for their health.

The Proof

The more people who understand the value or chiropractic care; the more people we will be able to help. So, get out there and start telling everyone these great chiropractic facts. They'll thank you for them!

If you want to read more about facts about chiropractic, or about ways to market your chiropractic practice, check out our blog.

Rocktape RockBlades Mohawk Review | A Revolution in IASTM

RockBlades Mohawk is the ultimate soft tissue tool kit, and this article and review will show you why.

Each Mohawk kit includes the Mohawk stainless steel tool, a silicone sleeve, ABS/Polycarbonate comb, RockRub, and a Quick Start Guide to help you take action fast.

Mohawk has changed the IASTM, or instrument-assisted soft tissue manipulation, world by unlocking revolutionary new treatments with their unique, industry-first attachments of the Sleeve and Comb.

Whether you're treating soft tissue on the playing field, or in the office, Mohawk has a sweet carry case to keep everything together and keep you on the go.

If you are a movement specialist, physical therapist, or chiropractor and you perform soft tissue work in your practice or your clinic, Mohawk is a soft tissue tool you need to have close to your treatment table.

First, it comes with an excellent carrying case. So this can help you tremendously if you are on and off the field. If you're in and out of different gyms, different boxes, different practices, this carrying case helps you keep everything in one spot, and it makes travel super convenient. The worst tool is a lost tool. So this carrying case will help you keep everything in order as we open things up for Mohawk.

RockBlades Mohawk includes

• a handy carrying case

• RockBlades Mohawk Surgical Stainless steel IASTM tool

• a silicon sleeve

• a ABS comb

• RockRub

• a spot for your Mullet and Mallet (RockBlades)

Mohawk's carrying case has a spot for RockRub, the two attachments (a silicon sleeve and ABS comb), and even has space for your RockBlades.

Mohawk is a beautifully designed tool. It's made from surgical stainless steel, and there's a variety of dimples and grip points. So whether you are working large muscle groups or more sensitive and intricate spaces, you're going to be able to find a surface on Mohawk to match the tissue.

The weight is perfectly balanced, which helps fight fatigue during those long treatment sessions. If you've ever performed soft tissue work without tools, then you know the toll it can take on our wrists and hands. Mohawk's design and balanced weight are a lifesaver if you treat soft tissue daily in your practice.

Surgical stainless steel is fantastic, but there are times where you might want to have a different contact surface, and that is where the two attachments come in so handy. One of them is a silicon sleeve. This slips right over the top of Mohawk. And what it enables you to do is grip into the tissue. So if there is an area where you want a little bit of extra grip you want to make sure you get in there and can provide some additional traction. The silicone sleeve is a great tool to use. It slides right over the top of the instrument, and it gives you the ability to have extra grip and a little bit more traction on an area.

The third component is the ABS comb. The ABS Comb clips right over the top of Mohawk enables you to stimulate the tissue and create neurological input. New research has discovered the importance of neurological input as a primary mechanism of action during soft tissue work, and Mohawk's ABS Comb makes it easy.

Altering proprioceptive input can create varied neurological responses, which is why it is so crucial to have multiple attachments or ways to impact the soft tissue.

If you have not checked out RockBlades Mohawk, then click here to learn more from RockTape.

Questions about soft tissue work? Comment below!

Stenosis of the Spine: The 3 Most Common Types

Stenosis is a narrowing the nerve channels in and around your spine, which can result in pain, numbness, and fatigue. This condition affects millions of people per year and is the #1 cause of spine surgery for people over the age of 40.

For most people, the symptoms of stenosis usually start with a simple case of low back or neck pain. Over time, the pain may progress towards numbness and tingling that travels downs your arms or legs. In this article, I'll break down the three main types of stenosis. Once you can identify the type of stenosis you have, you'll be empowered to take the first steps towards finding lasting relief.

Get a FREE Research Brief Showing the Results of Chiropractic with Stenosis

The 3 Types of Spine Stenosis

Spinal Stenosis:

Spinal stenosis is pinching or compression on your spinal cord. Between the bones, or vertebrae, of your spine, are your spinal discs. The discs act as small spacers between the bones and allow your spine and body to move in a variety of directions.

Behind the disc is a large canal or hole in each bone. That hole is your spinal canal and is the channel that your spinal cord travels down. When a disc, bone, or ligament gets into the spinal canal, whether due to injury or age, it can cause compression on the spinal canal. This compression is called...spinal stenosis.

The hallmark of spinal stenosis is numbness and tingling into your legs and feet. Also, you may notice your endurance starts to decline. Where you used to be able to walk around the entire grocery store, now you may only make it up and down an aisle or two before you notice yourself leaning on the carriage to provide support and relief.

Many people suffering from spinal stenosis eventually feel like they are always "looking for the next chair." If that statement resonates with you, then you may have spinal stenosis.

Also, spinal stenosis tends to affect both legs evenly. If you have pain or numbness only down one leg that you may have foraminal stenosis, which we will dive into next.

Foraminal Stenosis:

The second most common type of stenosis is called foraminal stenosis. Foraminal stenosis is what many people know as a "pinched nerve."

While the spinal cord travels up and down the backside of your spine, your nerve roots exit out the left and right sides of the bones. These nerve channels are called the foraminal canals. If a disc bulge, bone spur, or ligament overgrowth encroaches into the canal, then it can cause compression that is called foraminal stenosis.

Foraminal stenosis typically results in extreme pain or numbness down one arm, or one leg is depending upon whether the pinch is occurring your neck or back.

A compression in your neck would cause arm pain/numbness, where a pinch or compression in your low back would cause symptoms into your legs.

It's also important to keep in mind just how small these nerve canals are. At about 10 mm in height and 8 mm in width, there isn't a lot of wiggle room. Even a disc bulge or herniation of 3 mm could decrease the size of the canal by nearly 30%!

Lateral Recess Stenosis:

Lateral recess stenosis is the third most common form of stenosis. This occurs when compression occurs at the junction point of the spinal cord and nerve root.

The spot where the nerve root branches off the spinal cord is referred to as the lateral recess.

In private practice, I would often see lateral stenosis accompany either spinal or foraminal stenosis. Since the nerve root is not protected by the outer laters of the spine at the lateral recess, it's "unprotected." The lack of protection by the spinal cord leaves the nerve root exposed, and compression at this spot (the lateral recess) tends to result in piercing, sharp pain down the arms or legs.

Like spinal stenosis and foraminal stenosis, lateral recess compression can occur due to disc, bone, or ligament encroachment.

Get a FREE Research Brief Showing the Results of Chiropractic with Stenosis

Next Steps:

Once you can identify the type of stenosis you're dealing with; now you have the opportunity to seek out the best treatment possible to find relief.

The good news is that regardless of which type of stenosis you are suffering with; conservative care such as chiropractic is still the best first option (in the absence of red flags).

Researchers have actually discovered that chiropractic care and adjustments can provide equal (and in some cases more) relief than injections, medications, and surgery.

“Improvement (with conservative care) was self-described as “good” or “excellent” in 80% of patients.” - JMPT, 2009

The Top 5 Researched Benefits of Chiropractic

New research has showcased an array of health benefits you can expect after receiving chiropractic adjustments.

Whether you are an elite athlete, weekend warrior, battling back from an injury, or just looking to live your best life- chiropractic has been shown to provide many benefits that can improve your quality of life.

Get the 5 Top Benefits as a Patient Friendly Handout!

1. Pain Reduction

The first benefit of chiropractic care may be the most impactful- reducing your pain. Before you are living your optimal life, you have to be free of pain.

Multiple research studies have shown that chiropractic is considered one of the most safe and effective treatments to reduce pain from your neck, low back, and more. Even if you are suffering from spinal stenosis, disc herniations, or foraminal encroachment- chiropractic may be able to help.

““Patients with symptomatic MRI-confirmed cervical disk herniations treated with SMT to the level of herniation reported high levels of clinically relevant improvement at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months after the first treatment.””

— Outcomes from Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Confirmed Symptomatic Cervical Disk Herniation Patients Treated with High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude Spinal Manipulative Therapy. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. October 2013

““Most of the patients who were considered surgical candidates for the treatment of radiculopathy from LDH improved with standardized spinal manipulative care to the same degree as those who had undergone surgery. Of those who failed spinal manipulation treatment, subsequent surgical intervention provided excellent outcome.””

— Manipulation or Microdiskectomy for Sciatica? A Prospective Randomized Clinical Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. Volume 33, Number 8. October 2010

2. Reduce the Frequency, Severity, and Intensity of Headaches

The second health benefit of chiropractic care, especially important if you have struggled with chronic headaches. Researchers have discovered that chiropractic care can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches.

With over 20 million people suffering from headaches every day, this is a massive development in healthcare! The most common type of headaches includes; tension headaches and migraines. Tension headaches often include neck pain, muscle pain, and facial pain. Migraines are usually throbbing, can cause nausea and light sensitivity, and some even include an aura.

““With regard to the weekly register on frequency and intensity of pain, these parameters showed significant improvement in the groups with manipulation and combined treatment...””

— Efficacy of Manual and Manipulative Therapy in the Perception of Pain and Cervical Motion in Patients with Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine. (2014) 13, 4-13

3. Improved Function and Quality of Life

Many people don't go to the doctor when they have pain. They go to the doctor when that pain interferes with their quality of life!

If you have a healthcare issue that is keeping you for enjoying your hobbies, hanging out with friends and family, and limit your ability to perform well at work- then you are likely going to start researching on Google and eventually call a doctor to get answers.

Fortunately, getting back to your active lifestyle, and improving your quality of life (or in science-speak, "functional ability") is one proven benefits of chiropractic care.

4. Reduced Medication Usage

Reducing medication use, and specifically opioids are one of the primary focuses of our healthcare world today.

Each day over 100 people die due to an opioid overdose. And it's not only affecting addicts and junkies. A majority of opioid deaths come from people who were taking medications prescribed by their doctor.

Not only are these medications addictive and deadly, but in many cases, they are ineffective at helping people recover from spine pain, which is why most people start taking them. This vicious cycle leads people to take MORE medication an attempt to find relief, which only increases the likelihood of an adverse event or addiction.

There is a better way. Researchers have discovered that people who receive chiropractic care are 49% less likely to fill an opioid prescription. And, in my opinion, if we were able to reduce opioid use by nearly 50% just be helping people get well with chiropractic care- this world would be a different place!

Even what many people consider to be "safe" medications like NSAID's contribute to over 100,000 hospitalizations, and over 3,000 deaths each year. Drugs should rarely be viewed as a first line treatment for spinal pain. Your body is designed to move and recover- so going to a doctor focused on movement and recovery seems like a good idea to not only reduce your medication use but to get the best results possible.

“patients who visited a chiropractor for a musculoskeletal pain condition were 49% less likely to receive an opioid prescription than their counterparts who went to other healthcare providers.”

— MedScape- Chiropractic Care Tied to Significant Reduction in Opioid Scripts

5. Sports Performance Improvements

Did you know that every major sports team has a chiropractor available to their athletes to help with injury prevention and sports performance?

That's right, teams in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL all have chiropractors integrated into their healthcare team to keep their athletes performing at their top level all season long.

No one can perform their best when in pain, so chiropractors are used to keeping the athletes feeling good, but with a focus and eye towards sport-specific performance.

Working with the athletes on flexibility, biomechanics, and range of motion, and sport-focused training is critical to raising the bar of performance.

““The increased V-wave amplitudes observed in the current study possibly reflect an increased cortical drive in the cortico-spinal pathways and corresponding increased excitability of the motoneuron following spinal manipulation.””

— The effects of a single session of spinal manipulation on strength and cortical drive in athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology. January 2018

Quite frankly, whether you are working at an office or whether you are on the professional sports field, a balance of strength and flexibility is one of the top keys to stay well long term.

So those are the five significant benefits of chiropractic care. If you've experienced any of those, please comment down below let us know, or if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer those as well.

Get the 5 Top Benefits as a Patient Friendly Handout!

The Healthcare "Secret" of Pro Athletes

Professional sports is a high stakes game, where even the slightest advantage can make the difference between winning and losing. Most high-level athletes are in tune with every nuance of their body and remain on the constant hunt to find ways to improve their performance.

In addition to a lot of practice and talent- many athletes have relied on chiropractic care as a “secret” ingredient to their success.

From Babe Ruth to Tom Brady- top athletes have been using chiropractic for decades.

Why it Matters:

You don’t need to be a pro athlete to desire improved health and well-being. Almost all of us are interested in decreasing pain, improving function, and increasing our strength. New research has showcased that chiropractic care may be able to help in all three of those areas.

- In a recent study, athletes had increased strength for up to 30 minutes after a chiropractic adjustment

- Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to provide more significant pain relief than commonly prescribed NSAID’s

- Even people with moderate or severe pain have experienced significant functional improvement with chiropractic

Next Steps:

Whether you are a weekend warrior, traveling every weekend for youth sports, or just looking to enjoy a higher quality of life- chiropractic care may be right for you. Finding relief from pain, improving your functional abilities, and increasing your strength and endurance are all essentials parts of having a high quality of life. Even if you aren’t currently competing to win a world championship, you probably have a few healthcare goals in mind. Let us know what they are, we would love become part of your “secret” to success.

Science Source:

The effects of a single session of spinal manipulation on strength and cortical drive in athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2018

Spinal high-velocity low amplitude manipulation in acute nonspecific low back pain: a double-blinded randomized controlled trial in comparison with diclofenac and placebo. SPINE 2013

The Chiropractic Outcome Study: pain, functional ability and satisfaction with care. JMPT 1997