ACA Statement on NCCIH's New Report on Pain in the United States

 

Arlington, Va.- American Chiropractic Association (ACA) President Anthony Hamm, DC, has released the following statement on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health's (NCCIH) new analysis of data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which found that most American adults have experienced some level of pain, from brief to more lasting pain, and from relatively minor to more severe pain:

"The American Chiropractic Association is encouraged that NCCIH's research priorities include the study of complementary approaches to pain management, including chiropractic services. Integrated approaches can offer patients a higher degree of safety and help address opioid overuse and abuse in the United States by reducing the necessity for prescription pain medications. NCCIH's analysis found that chiropractic services remain one of the most popular non-drug approaches, with more than 19 million patients having received spinal manipulation in the previous year for pain management. ACA is hopeful that as additional research demonstrates the effectiveness of conservative forms of care for pain management, more Americans will experience the benefits in the form of improved health and quality of life." 

NCCIH's new report on pain comes on the heels of ACA's recent announcement that National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) in October will work to bring attention to the public health crisis caused by pain, and in particular the overuse of prescription painkillers, with this year's theme #PainFreeNation. The campaign is part of the profession's ongoing efforts to educate the public about the value of exhausting conservative forms of care for both acute and chronic pain before resorting to higher risk options, such as prescription painkillers and surgery. 

Please contact Nicole Racadag at [email protected] or (703) 812-0211 if you would like to set up a phone interview with Dr. Hamm or if you would like additional information about NCHM 2015. 

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The American Chiropractic Association (ACA), based in Arlington, Va., is the largest professional association in the United States representing doctors of chiropractic. ACA promotes the highest standards of ethics and patient care, contributing to the health and well-being of millions of chiropractic patients. Visit us at www.acatoday.org.

 

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