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Patterns and perceptions of care for treatment of back and neck pain: results of a national survey...including commentary by Shekelle P

STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nationally representative random household telephone survey to assess therapies used to treat back or neck pain. OBJECTIVES: The main outcome was complementary therapies used in the last year to treat back or neck pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Back pain and neck pain...

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Published in:Spine (03622436) Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 292 - 299
Main Authors: Wolsko PM, Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Kessler R, Phillips RS
Format: commentary research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Feb2003
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      pub: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
      place: Baltimore, Maryland
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        atl: Patterns and perceptions of care for treatment of back and neck pain: results of a national survey...including commentary by Shekelle P
      aug:
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          Wolsko PM
          Eisenberg DM
          Davis RB
          Kessler R
          Phillips RS
        affil: Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Boston, and the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
      sug:
        subj:
          Back Pain Therapy
          Neck Pain Therapy
          Health Resource Utilization
          Survey Research
          Alternative Therapies
          Patient Satisfaction Evaluation
          Descriptive Statistics
          Allopathic Medicine
          Chiropractic
          Massage
          Relaxation Techniques
          United States
          Logistic Regression
          Step-Wise Multiple Regression
          Data Analysis Software
          Adolescence
          Adult
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Male
          Female
          Sex Factors
          Confidence Intervals
          Odds Ratio
          Funding Source
          Human
          Adolescent: 13-18 years
          Adult: 19-44 years
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Male
          Female
      ab: STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a nationally representative random household telephone survey to assess therapies used to treat back or neck pain. OBJECTIVES: The main outcome was complementary therapies used in the last year to treat back or neck pain. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Back pain and neck pain are common medical conditions that cause substantial morbidity. Despite the presumed importance of complementary therapies for these conditions, studies of care for back and neck pain have not gathered information about the use of complementary therapies. METHODS: Our nationally representative survey sampled 2055 adults. The survey gathered detailed information about medical conditions, conventional and complementary therapies used to treat those conditions, and the perceived helpfulness of those therapies. RESULTS: We found that of those reporting back or neck pain in the last 12 months, 37% had seen a conventional provider and 54% had used complementary therapies to treat their condition. Chiropractic, massage, and relaxation techniques were the most commonly used complementary treatments for back or neck pain (20%, 14%, and 12%, respectively, of those with back or neck pain). Chiropractic, massage, and relaxation techniques were rated as 'very helpful' for back or neck pain among users (61%, 65%, and 43%, respectively), whereas conventional providers were rated as 'very helpful' by 27% of users. We estimate that nearly one-third of all complementary provider visits in 1997 (203 million of 629 million) were made specifically for the treatment of back or neck pain. CONCLUSIONS: Chiropractic, massage, relaxation techniques, and other complementary methods all play an important role in the care of patients with back or neck pain. Treatment for back and neck pain was responsible for a large proportion of all complementary provider visits made in 1997. The frequent use and perceived helpfulness of commonly used complementary methods for these conditions warrant further investigation.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        commentary
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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