Pain management: How chiropractic can work with complementary health approaches

The link between chiropractic and other complementary health approaches is an important one to note, especially when it comes to a comprehensive understanding of your patients.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association highlighted an increase in the adoption of complementary health approaches over the course of 20 years.  

Chiropractic care, along with six other complementary health approaches, were listed among the growing methods of managing pain.  

This article discusses the increase in patients seeking pain management along with how you, as a DC, can use this study to ensure you’re providing the best solutions and care possible for your patients. 

Understanding the study: What DCs should know about complementary health approaches

In the study, researchers used data spanning 20 years, including information from the 2002, 2012 and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), to explore and evaluate changes in seven complementary health approaches.  

Researchers observed how the following disciplines aided in pain management over two decades:  

• Chiropractic care 
• Acupuncture 
• Naturopathy 
• Yoga 
• Meditation 
• Massage therapy  
• Guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation  

The key findings in this study reported yoga, meditation and massage therapy as the complementary health approaches with the most significant growth in the 20-year span. The use of yoga increased from 5% to 15.8%, while meditation use increased from 7.5% to 17.3%.  

How DCs can acknowledge and implement complementary health approaches in their care

Based on this study, DCs can reasonably observe the increase in demand for this care requires not only an understanding of these complementary health approaches, but a blending of these strategies into their own practices.   

Here are a few suggestions for how you can implement these approaches, such as yoga, meditation and massage therapy, into your practice for cohesive care.  

Hire in-house experts for your practice 

For some DCs, creating a collective where practitioners of a variety of modalities can assist patients might be the best way to ensure pain management is taken care of seamlessly.  

For example, because it’s understood that massage therapy can assist with pain relief, pain prevention, faster recovery and more, having a licensed massage therapist on staff to work with your patients could be a good decision.  

If you’re unsure if adding complementary health approaches to your practice is the right move, consider factors like: 

• Having more comprehensive services may widen your network of patients 
• You’ll be able to provide more inclusive, comprehensive treatment for patients with chronic pain  
• You can delegate patient needs to other practitioners within your own practice   
• The variety of treatment options gives your patients a greater say in their care  

Build a trusted referral network

If bringing experts and additional complementary health approaches into your practice isn’t an option that makes sense for you, creating a network of trusted practitioners is another route.  

For example, because yoga can help with pain management by improving posture and relieving joint pain, adding qualified and trusted yoga practitioners to your referral network might benefit your patients.  

Get certified and licensed for complementary health approaches

For some DCs, adding certifications and licenses to their own repertoire might be the right approach. If you’re interested in widening your skills and enjoy continuing education, becoming a yoga practitioner, massage therapist or even an acupuncture practitioner could be a way to offer your patients a bigger variety of treatment options.  

Final thoughts

One of the most seamless ways to include other pain management approaches is to keep them in mind as you decide on a treatment path for each patient. Learn about other complementary health approaches, have open dialogue with other practitioners and get feedback from experts you trust. Learning how you can make room for other modalities in your patients’ treatment plans could help them with more comprehensive pain management.  

For further information on complementary health approaches and how you can incorporate them into your practice, we recommend subscribing to Chiropractic Economics magazine.