Pain and the Choices We Make

Imagine two closed doors. You have a choice as to which one you will open. The only information you have been given to help you decide is the following:

Behind the first door is something that you are familiar with. The results you are looking for are not 100%. It may cost you more, but there are no surprises. 

Behind the second door is something that you are not familiar with. However, the results you are looking for are closer to your ideal. It costs less but there are surprises, ones you will like.

You have two options because of a health problem that is affecting your quality of life, pain. So, given the two options, which door do you choose?

A recent study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) revealed three reasons to choose the second door – “superior satisfaction ratings, reduced costs, and similar outcomes to medical care.” Chiropractic care represents the second door. The first door the care received by a medical doctor (MD). Not surprisingly, most of the U.S. population chooses to visit a medical doctor first when it comes to relieving pain. In the study, 403 patients saw a medical doctor and 316 patients saw a chiropractor as their first choice of care for “their spinal, hip, or shoulder pain.” A questionnaire was completed on day 1 and at 4-months to evaluate the patients pain, the care received, and the costs of care.

The results of the study:

• Patients treated by a chiropractor experienced a greater reduction in pain.
• Patients treated by a medical doctor first were less likely to be satisfied with the care they received.
• Those treated by a chiropractor were more satisfied with the outcome of the care they received.
• The costs were much lower for those who were treated by a chiropractor.

Now, given what you have learned, which door would you choose?