The most obvious difference between
doctors of chiropractic (DC's) and physical therapists (PT's) is virtually all
DC's utilize some form of manipulation to restore joint function, whereas only
a very small percentage of PT's utilize manipulation and virtually none of them
have nearly as much experience "adjusting" patients or, the training
to determine how and when to adjust for ultimate results go beyond just pain
relief. Another very important difference is the education curriculum of
chiropractors includes many class hours in physiology, pathology, clinical
examination, radiology, laboratory testing and interpretation and diagnosis -
these are not included in the PT educational process.
Perhaps even more important,
chiropractors are accessible to the general public - that is, a referral from a
medical doctor is not required. This is not the case for physical therapy as a
medical referral is required and, the medical doctor can limit the amount of
care rendered. This is an area that the physical therapy groups are currently
working hard to change with many debated issues being presented. There are now
some states that allow direct access of patients to doctors of physical therapy
(DPT's), a new program created to improve the limited accessibility to PT's.
With the debate raging on about
health care reform, a pilot study indicating chiropractic care and other
physical medicine approaches may reduce costs is VERY TIMELY!
In 2008, Welllmark Blue Cross and
Blue Shield conducted a 1-year pilot program designed to study the patient
quality of care. The researchers concluded that the use of chiropractic and
other physical medicine services significantly improved clinical outcomes and
reduced health care costs. The 2008 Iowa and South Dakota pilot study included
238 chiropractors, physical therapists and occupational therapists that provided
care to 5500 Wellmark patients with musculoskeletal disorders. They reported
89% of all patients receiving physical mediclne services improved at least 30%
within 30 days. These statistics were so impressive that they decided to
continue the program.
Supporters of
chiropractic treatment praised the findings, saying that the cost-effectiveness
of the method has been documented in several studies.
The president of the American
Chiropractic Association, Glenn Manceaux, referred to a 2005 study published in
the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that found
chiropractic and medical care have comparable costs for treating chronic
low-back pain, with chiropractic care producing significantly better outcomes.
Similarly, a study published in a 2003 edition of Spine medical journal found
that manual manipulation provides better short-term relief of chronic spinal
pain than a variety of medications, he said - "Especially during the
health care reform debate, it's important that chiropractic and other
conservative care methods are taken into serious consideration as a
cost-effective alternative to the utilization of expensive surgery and
hospital-based care."
