Should you trust your health to a chiropractor?
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Chiropractors advertise their services for a wide range of conditions, but only some of their treatments are backed by evidence.
PHOTO: INA JANG/NYTIMES
Teddy Rosenbluth
- Chiropractic care is now mainstream, with about 11% of US adults using it in 2022, mainly for pain relief.
- Evidence is strongest for mild to moderate lower back pain, while neck pain has weaker support and neck manipulation may carry rare but serious risks.
- Patients should avoid miracle claims and unproven supplements, and choose chiropractors who follow evidence-based care.
AI generated
NEW YORK – There was a time when chiropractors were considered modern-day snake oil salesmen. The reputation might have something to do with the profession’s founder, D.D. Palmer, who claimed to cure a janitor of his deafness by popping a neck bone back into place in the late 1800s.
The profession has since become more mainstream. Roughly 11% of American adults saw a chiropractor in 2022, mainly for pain management. Chiropractic care is offered by many of the US’ leading health systems. National guidelines for back pain often recognise chiropractic adjustments as a first line of treatment.