04/23/2026
Want to save money and do more of what you love, more often? The studies don’t lie…
“Spinal pain patients who consulted chiropractors as first providers needed fewer opioid prescriptions, surgeries, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, specialist referrals, and injection procedures.”
“Paid costs for episodes of care initiated with a DC were almost 40% lower than those initiated with an MD.”
This is not anti-MD, and it’s not to say MDs don’t do you any good—they absolutely do. You should still see your primary care provider annually or biannually for a wellness check. And if you have anything else going on, you should definitely be going regularly for your checkups.
But if you have musculoskeletal aches and pains, chiropractic care takes the cake.
Staying consistent with care—around 10–12 visits per year—can end up saving you thousands and help prevent setbacks that keep you from showing up for the people who need you and doing more of what you love, more often.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10918856/
Farabaugh R, Hawk C, Taylor D, Daniels C, Noll C, Schneider M, McGowan J, Whalen W, Wilcox R, Sarnat R, Suiter L, Whedon J. Cost of chiropractic versus medical management of adults with spine-related musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review. Chiropr Man Therap. 2024 Mar 6;32(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s12998-024-00533-4. PMID: 38448998; PMCID: PMC10918856.
Liliedahl RL, Finch MD, Axene DV, Goertz CM. Cost of care for common back pain conditions initiated with chiropractic doctor vs medical doctor/doctor of osteopathy as first physician: experience of one Tennessee-based general health insurer. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2010 Nov-Dec;33(9):640-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2010.08.018. Epub 2010 Oct 18. PMID: 21109053.
The cost of spine-related pain in the United States is estimated at $134.5 billion. Spinal pain patients have multiple options when choosing healthcare providers, resulting in variable costs. Escalation of costs occurs when downstream costs are ...
