New research from F4CP and Harris Poll shows 81% say chiropractic effective for athletes

More than eight in 10 consumers (81%) believe chiropractic care is effective for professional and amateur athletes, according to the results of a Harris Poll survey commissioned by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the value of chiropractic care.

Of the 2,015 U.S. consumers aged 18 and older who were polled in January 2020, the vast majority said chiropractic care was effective while nearly one in two (49%) said it was “very effective” to “restore joint function and support the neuro-musculoskeletal system” of athletes.

Consumer opinions mirror those of many athletes, especially those who compete for a living. As evidence, all National Football League (NFL) teams, most Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA) teams and U.S. Olympians have doctors of chiropractic (DCs) as part of their multidisciplinary training and medical staff.

“The Harris Poll results verify what amateur and professional athletes have known for years: not only does chiropractic care help them prevent and recover from injury, it also improves their performance in the competitive arena,” says Sherry McAllister, DC, executive vice president of F4CP. “This is exactly why doctors of chiropractic are on staff for various types of professional sports teams and will be in Japan this summer caring for our Olympic athletes.”

Americans watching the 2020 Summer Olympics will likely see a :30-second commercial about chiropractic care which was created by F4CP, and generously sponsored by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), NCMIC, Foot Levelers, Standard Process, ChiroHealthUSA and many others. The goal of the commercial is to inspire individuals to consider a career as a doctor of chiropractic (DC), as well as to motivate consumers to seek chiropractic care for themselves, their family and friends.

Key findings and insights:

• Majority of Americans believe chiropractic care is effective: 81% of survey respondents believe chiropractic care is effective for athletes, both professional and amateur.
• Millennials supportive: 88% of consumers aged 18 to 34 said chiropractic care was very/somewhat effective for athletes compared to 69% of those aged 65 and older who believed it was very/somewhat effective.
• Parents with children in household consider chiropractic very effective: 58% of consumers with children in the household and who have children younger than 18 years say chiropractic was very effective for athletes compared to 43% of consumers without children and 44% of consumers without children under 18 years in the household.
• Gender, income and education levels have no bearing on perception of chiropractic care:
  • Gender: Both male and female survey respondents, at 82% and 81% respectively, indicated they find chiropractic care effective for athletes.
  • Income: 81% of consumers earning less than $50,000 a year and those earning more than $100,000 a year responded that chiropractic care was very/somewhat effective.
  • Education: Opinions remained constant between education levels with 81% of college graduates, as well as 81% of consumers with a high school diploma or less, responding that chiropractic care was very/somewhat effective.

“Chiropractic care delivers pain relief, improved mobility and overall better quality of life and athletic performance for millions of patients around the world, so I’m not surprised that so many consumers of different backgrounds have similar positive perspectives,” said Dr. McAllister. “In some cases, patients may be required to pay more out-of-pocket for chiropractic care due to health plan restrictions, which may influence their opinion. My hope is that more health insurers look at the evidence of chiropractic care’s superior patient outcomes and satisfaction so that more consumers and athletes of all ages can access our care in the future.”

About the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress

A not-for-profit organization, the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress (F4CP) informs and educates the general public about the value of chiropractic care and its role in drug-free pain management. Visit f4cp.org; call 866-901-F4CP (3427).

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress from January 21 – 23, 2020, among 2,015 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.