When Chiropractic is Covered, Everyone Benefits

Why does your organization need extended health benefits for chiropractic care?

Covered predominantly under patients’ extended health benefits, BC’s chiropractors diagnose and treat various musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, helping employees return to work faster.

Low back pain and other MSK conditions, such as neck and shoulder pain, affect 11 million Canadians annually and are estimated to cost the Canadian economy upwards of $22 billion each year, with injuries costing an additional $15 billion annually.<fn>Canadian Institute of Health Research. (2014). IMHA strategic plan 2014-2018: Enhancing musculoskeletal, skin and oral health. Retrieved from: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48830.html</fn> Low back pain, in particular, is the leading cause of disability in Canada.<fn>GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet. 8 Nov 2018: 392</fn>

Furthermore, people who live with chronic diseases commonly suffer from MSK conditions that contribute to pain and limit mobility. An estimated 60% of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients suffer from chronic pain<fn>Roberts, M., Mapel, D., Hartry, A., Worley, A., & Thomson, H. (2013). Chronic pain and pain medication use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 10(4), 290-298. Retrievable from: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1513/AnnalsATS.201303-040OC</fn>, and MSK pain is up to twice as likely to occur in people with type 2 diabetes.<fn>Molsted, S., Tribler, J., Snorgaard, O. (2012). Musculoskeletal pain in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, 96, 135-140. Retrievable from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22244365</fn>

As primary contact providers, chiropractors can play an important role in improving organizational health and productivity while reducing absenteeism and disability. Prioritizing best and appropriate care for employees will enable organizations to meet extended health benefits holders’ needs while managing costs.

Quick Stats

Of the plan members surveyed in the 2019 Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey:

42%

42% Have chronic pain such as back pain.

67%

67% Have chronic condition and/or chronic pain.

89%

89% Of those with chronic pain would like to know more about how to manage it.

Chiropractors play an important role in helping the millions of people living with MSK conditions, having spent four years at an accredited chiropractic institution after graduating from a university degree and receiving more than 4,200 hours of specialized clinical training.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Research has shown the following economic and patient benefits of chiropractic care:

Fewer Costs

Employees accessing chiropractic care tend to incur fewer costs because they are less likely to be prescribed medications or end up with complex medical procedures.<fn>Allen, H., Wright, M., Craigh, T., Mardekian, J., Cheung, R., Sanchez, R., Bunn, W. and Rogers, W. (2014) Tracking low back problems in a major self- insured workforce: toward improvement in the patient’s journey. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(6), 604-620. Retrievable from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24854253/</fn>

Economic Advantage

Manual therapy, a common treatment used by chiropractors, shows an economic advantage relative to other interventions used for the management of MSK conditions.<fn>Tsertsvadze, A., Clar, C., Court, R., Clarke, A., Mistry, H. & Sutcliffe, P. (2014). Cost-effectiveness of manual therapy for the management of musculoskeletal conditions: A systematic review and narrative synthesis of evidence from randomized controlled trials. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 37(6), 343-362. Retrievable: https://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(14)00087-6/fulltext</fn>

Lower Disability

Patients receiving chiropractic care have lower associations of disability recurrence and shorter disability duration compared to patients receiving care from other providers.<fn>Allen, H., Wright, M., Craigh, T., Mardekian, J., Cheung, R., Sanchez, R., Bunn, W. and Rogers, W. (2014) Tracking low back problems in a major self- insured workforce: toward improvement in the patient’s journey. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 56(6), 604-620. Retrievable from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24854253/</fn>

“The level of chronic pain reported by extended health benefits plan members is surprising and scary.”

– 2019 Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey Advisory Board Members

Recent guidelines, including from the American College of Physicians, recommend non-pharmacological treatments that chiropractors provide, such as spinal manipulation, for treatment of acute, sub-acute and chronic low back pain.<fn>Qaseem, A., Wilt, T. J., McLean, R. M., & Forciea, M. A. (2017). Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain. Annals of internal medicine, 166(7), 514-530.</fn>

The 2017 Canadian Guideline for Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain recommends optimization of non-opioid pharmacotherapy and non-pharmacological therapy, rather than a trial of opioids (and provides the example of spinal manipulation therapy for back pain, neck pain, knee osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, severe headaches or migraines).<fn>Busse, J. (2017). The 2017 Canadian guideline for opioids for chronic non-cancer pain. Retrieved from: https://nationalpaincentre.mcmaster.ca/documents/Opioid%20GL%20for%20CMAJ_01may2017.pdf</fn>

Conditions Chiropractors Treat

Back, shoulder and neck pain.
Strains and sprains.
Headaches and whiplash.
Work and sports-related injuries.
Restricted movement in the back, shoulders, neck or limbs.
Arthritis pain including osteoarthritis of the hip and knee.

Chiropractic Treatments & Care

Education to understand conditions and ways to reduce pain and prevent injuries.
Exercises for in-clinic treatment or at-home self-care.
Soft tissue therapy which involves hands-on muscle work.
Hands-on spinal manipulation therapy to relieve pain and improve mobility.
Nutrition counselling to promote faster recovery and muscle/joint health.

For more information about chiropractic care please visit:

bcchiro.com

Page content credit: Ontario Chiropractic Association