"Did You Know?" The Chiropractic Edition!

It’s time for some chiropractic trivia, especially chiropractic trivia questions for patients! “Did You Know?” The Chiropractic Edition! Chiropractic is one of the fastest-growing fields in healthcare. Whether you are considering visiting a chiropractor for the first time or are a devoted fan of your chiropractor, here are some great insights on Chiropractic and the benefits of getting adjusted.

Top Chiropractic Statistics

• More than 35 million people in the U.S. see a chiropractor every year.
• Over one million chiropractic adjustments are performed every day in the United States.
• Women between 45 and 64 are most likely to receive chiropractic care.
• Over 70,000 licensed chiropractors practice in the United States.
• 77% of patients who receive chiropractic care positively describe it as “very effective.”
• The probability of injury during a chiropractic adjustment is 40 injuries per 100,000 subjects.

How Many People in the U.S. Visit Chiropractors?

Chiropractors see over 35 million Americans yearly, roughly 10% of the population, including both children and adults.

In the U.S. alone, roughly one million chiropractic adjustments are performed daily. With roughly 25% of U.S. adults living with chronic pain, it’s no wonder many patients want to relieve their pain without harmful drugs and dangerous surgeries.

Who is the “Average” Chiropractic Patient?

In fact, women and those between 45 and 64 are most likely to see a chiropractor. Roughly 60% of patients who visit a chiropractor are female, and children between 12 and 17 are most likely to see a chiropractor.

Why Do People See a Chiropractor?

46% of chiropractic patients receive care for lower back pain, which is why most people see a chiropractor. Comparatively, neck pain and headaches are the second and third most common reasons for seeing a chiropractor. Back pain, neck pain, and headaches can result from an accident, sports injuries, or a chronic condition like arthritis.

Chiropractic Statistics*:

• Over 35 million Americans receive chiropractic care every year.
• Over one million chiropractic adjustments are rendered in the U.S. every day.
• Women make up 60% of chiropractic patients.
• People between 45 and 64 are most likely to see a chiropractor.
• Children receiving chiropractic care are typically between 12 and 17.
• 46% of patients reported lower back pain as their reason for seeing a chiropractor.

How Many Chiropractors Are There?

Over 70,000 licensed chiropractors were practicing in the U.S. in 2022. Roughly 10,000 students are studying to become chiropractors at one of the many accredited chiropractic schools nationwide. Around the world, there are approximately 100,000. Statista shows that California and Florida have the highest number of practicing chiropractors.

Do Chiropractors Help Back Pain?

In fact, over 75% of patients receiving chiropractic care seek relief from back pain and describe it as “very effective.” As a matter of fact, research published by Consumer Reports showed that Chiropractic outperformed prescription medication, deep-tissue massage, yoga, and meditation for effectively treating lower back pain.

65% of the patients surveyed said chiropractic “helped a lot.” Many Chiropractors also use complementary therapies like acupuncture, laser therapy, and electric muscle stimulation.

Is Chiropractic Care Effective for Neck Pain?

Studies have proven chiropractic care is also very good at relieving neck pain, headaches, and migraines. Published studies show that chiropractic adjustments can reduce pain and increase cervical flexibility. In fact, patients receiving Chiropractic care reduced their Neck Disability Index scores by over 70%.

What Causes Back Pain?

The back is a complicated structure of bones, joints, ligaments, and muscles. You can sprain ligaments, strain muscles, rupture disks, and irritate joints, all of which can lead to back pain. While sports injuries or accidents can cause back pain, sometimes the simplest of movements—for example, picking up a pencil from the floor— can have painful results. In addition, arthritis, poor posture, obesity, and psychological stress can cause or complicate back pain. Back pain can also directly result from disease of the internal organs, such as kidney stones, kidney infections, blood clots or bone loss.

Can You be Injured from a Chiropractic Adjustment?

Did you know Chiropractors have an injury rate of just 40 injuries per 100,000 visits in patient populations over 66? MDs reported 153 incidents of injuring patients per 100,000 visits. That’s almost 4 TIMES as many injured patients!

How Often Do Chiropractors Cause Strokes?

There are roughly one to three stroke incidents reported per one million chiropractic treatments. Of the many studies examining the incidence of stroke after chiropractic care (specifically cervical manipulation), they find between one and three stroke incidents per 1,000,000 chiropractic visits. With this in mind, to perform 1,000,000 million adjustments, the chiropractor would require seeing roughly 20 patients daily, five days a week, 52 weeks a year, for almost 200 years!

How Long is Chiropractic Education?

The path to becoming a chiropractor demands dedication and perseverance. A Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree, a prerequisite for this profession, typically spans four years of intensive study, following at least two years of prerequisite studies. It’s important to note that in most states, a bachelor’s degree is also a requirement, in addition to the chiropractic degree, to obtain a license for practice.

Chiropractic school is not just about theoretical learning. It’s a hands-on, practical experience that prepares you for the real world of chiropractic medicine. As part of your training, you’ll complete a mandatory 900-hour internship in your school’s clinic, gaining invaluable experience. Before you can graduate, you’ll also sit for a series of National board exams, ensuring your knowledge and skills are up to par. Once you have your Doctor of Chiropractic degree, you must pass written and oral board exams in the state you wish to practice in, further solidifying your readiness.

There is a great deal of similarity between chiropractic and medical school programs, especially in terms of the basic sciences. 

How Many Deaths Are Caused by Chiropractors?

Deaths caused by chiropractic adjustments are extremely rare. In fact, neck adjustments cause significantly fewer deaths than cervical spine surgeries.

As noted above, research shows the risk of dying from chiropractic neck adjustments is between one and three per million adjustments. The estimated risk of death during spinal surgery is 555 per 100,000 patients. For comparison, accidental falls cause 13.7 deaths per 100,000 people, while accidental poisonings cause 30.7 deaths per 100,000 people.

In short, the benefits of chiropractic care vastly outweigh the risks associated with other treatments or even daily events that we all take part in. In fact, our patients frequently tell us they get relief from conditions unrelated to their initial complaints. Still have questions about Chiropractic? Looking for a Chiropractor in Denver? Contact us! Still not sure? Read some of our 5-Star Google reviews and see what patients have to say. We’ve been helping patients in Arvada, North Denver, and Wheat Ridge, Colorado, for over 20 years. Lastly, learn more about the conditions we treat and the benefits of the many types of treatment we provide on our Health Articles page. Ready to start feeling better? Book an appointment online!

*Statistics for 2022