Health care news from Canada could scarcely be better for American chiropractors and the American public. A far-reaching international health care study funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health concluded that without a doubt chiropractic treatment of low back pain is more effective than other methods and costs less as well. The study — called
“The Manga Report” —focused on two critical issues.
THE STUDY’S TWO MAIN ISSUES
#1 — Which is more effective for low back pain, chiropractic treatment or medical treatment?
#2 — Which costs less?
The winner — hands down — is chiropractic on both issues, “The Manga Report” revealed.
In reaching their conclusions, the study’s team of health care economists, headed by Professor Pran Manga, reviewed and assessed statistics, scientific research studies, and other indisputable evidence of chiropractic’s efficacy in the treatment of low back pain. Pertinent information was gathered from many countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, making this an international study.
STUDY’S MAJOR FINDINGS
- Chiropractic adjustments for low back pain are more effective than other methods and “many medical therapies are of questionable validity or are clearly inadequate.”
- “Chiropractic manipulation is safer than medical management of low back pain.” Some medical procedures produce
- unwanted reactions.
- Several medical therapies utilized for low back pain are “contraindicated.” Also, spinal manipulations when done by non-chiropractic professionals may be less safe and less effective than chiropractic adjustments.
- Chiropractic care was found less expensive than medical treatment.
- “Many hundreds of millions” of dollars could be saved each year if low back pain cases were handled by chiropractors rather than medical doctors. [In the USA this figure would be much higher because of our much larger population.]
- Injured workers diagnosed with identical back trouble “returned to work much sooner when treated by chiropractors than by [medical] physicians.”
- It appears back patients are far better satisfied with chiropractic care.
STUDY’S RECOMMENDATIONS
“The Manga Report” also spells out definite recommendations for reform. Most are applicable to the American health care system.
- Here are some of them:
- Encourage the use of chiropractic for most low back cases.
- Make sure chiropractic services are “fully insured.”
- Fully integrate chiropractic into the healthcare system. Encourage health organizations to refer patients to chiropractors.
- The government should fund research for further evaluation of chiropractic.
- Other recommendations include the active encouragement of cooperation between the chiropractic, medical, and physiotherapy professions.
THIRD MAJOR CHIROPRACTIC STUDY
“The Manga Report” marks the third major independent verification of chiropractic’s efficacy. The first was the “New Zealand Report” which concluded that chiropractic was a valuable branch of the healing arts and should be included in government health plans.
CHIROPRACTORS WON AMA SUIT
Another validation came in 1987 when a determined group of chiropractors won an 11-year antitrust suit against the American Medical Association. The federal judge concluded “chiropractors were better trained to deal with musculoskeletal problems than were medical physicians.”
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