February 2002

National Survey Reveals:
Chiropractic Leads Drug-Free Pain Treatment

Roanoke, Va. - Chiropractic is the No.1 natural treatment choice for most pains and injuries, according to a recent national survey.

The telephone survey, conducted by the leading firm Media General Research, found that 42% of consumers have experienced back pain during the past year. The top choice for treating this pain was medicine, but the No. 1 natural treatment choice was chiropractic care. And of those patients who saw a chiropractor, 91% rated their care as "very" or "somewhat" effective.

"People are still taking medicine for pain relief," said Dr. Louis Sportelli, spokesperson for the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. "But in their quest to find alternative healthy options to drugs, many have begun to experience the effectiveness of natural care, such as chiropractic."

Foot Levelers, Inc., funded the Media General Research study. Foot Levelers also has established the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, a non-profit foundation that is spearheading a major nationwide public awareness campaign for chiropractic, including the dissemination of the survey results. The survey results are already being distributed nationally to the mainstream media, via outlets such as P.R. Newswire (prnewswire.com), a national news service for editors and reporters.

Sixty percent of consumers said they would go to a physician if they experienced an injury causing pain to their back or neck, and 23% said they would go to a chiropractor vs. a physical therapist (7%), massage therapist (4%), or acupuncturist (1%).

The survey also revealed that more headache sufferers are turning to chiropractic for help. Pharmaceuticals were the most popular treatment for those who had experienced headaches in the past year (47%), and the No. 2 choice was chiropractic care.

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