Americans Prefer Drug-Free Pain Management Over Opioids

THE 2017 GALLUP-PALMER COLLEGE OF CHIROPRACTIC ANNUAL REPORT: AMERICANS' VIEWS OF PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATION AND CHIROPRACTIC CARE

The 2017 report highlights findings on the prevalence of significant neck and back pain, perceptions of prescription pain management, and the use and costs of chiropractic care in the United States. The following are just a few of the key findings from this year's survey. (Click the report image to download the report.)

A majority of Americans prefer to try other ways to address their pain before taking pain medication.

• • 78 percent prefer to try other ways to address their physical pain before they take pain medication prescribed by a doctor

  • 27 percent of U.S. adults have seen a health-care professional for significant neck or back pain in the last 12 months. Of those adults, more than half (54 percent) have had an ongoing problem with neck or back pain for five years or more.

  • 22 percent of U.S. adults prefer to take pain medication prescribed by a doctor to treat their physical pain

A majority of U.S. adults have positive views of chiropractors.

• • 63 percent agree most chiropractors have their patient’s best interest in mind

  • 52 percent agree most chiropractors are trustworthy

Many Americans don’t know enough about chiropractic care.

• • Half of U.S. adults who’ve never been to a chiropractor are uncertain whether chiropractors are trustworthy and whether chiropractic care is dangerous or expensive

  • Education about chiropractic care increases the likelihood people will go to a chiropractor, especially for blacks and younger adults​