One-Year Follow-Up Comparison of the Cost and Effectiveness of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy as Primary Management for Back Pain: Subgroup Analysis, Recurrence, and Additional Health Care Utilization
12-Month Follow-Up Comparison
SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9762745/
REFERENCE
24
NICE
REFERENCE
123
organisation
Spine
TITLE
One-Year Follow-Up Comparison of the Cost and Effectiveness of Chiropractic and Physiotherapy as Primary Management for Back Pain: Subgroup Analysis, Recurrence, and Additional Health Care Utilization
12-Month Follow-Up Comparison
SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9762745/
DISC COMMENTARY
This is the one-year follow-up of a Swedish randomised controlled trial comparing chiropractic care against physiotherapy as the first treatment for back pain. It examines longer-term outcomes, recurrence rates and how much additional healthcare each group went on to need.
What was studied?
The follow-up compared symptom improvement, cost and healthcare use between the chiropractic and physiotherapy groups at the one-year mark, building on the trial's earlier 1997 report of the same participants.
What did they find?
At one year, chiropractic and physiotherapy produced broadly similar improvements in symptoms, with neither treatment showing a clear overall advantage. Costs were somewhat higher than in the 1997 report, attributed to general inflation rather than a difference in care.
Why it matters
This is a useful example of no-significant-difference evidence: chiropractic and physiotherapy appear broadly comparable for back pain at one year. That means the choice between them can reasonably come down to preference or accessibility.
Why we included it
It illustrates that equivalence between two treatments is itself valuable evidence, not a disappointing result. Comparable options can reasonably be chosen on preference or accessibility rather than one dominating on outcomes.
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What was studied?
The follow-up compared symptom improvement, cost and healthcare use between the chiropractic and physiotherapy groups at the one-year mark, building on the trial's earlier 1997 report of the same participants.
What did they find?
At one year, chiropractic and physiotherapy produced broadly similar improvements in symptoms, with neither treatment showing a clear overall advantage. Costs were somewhat higher than in the 1997 report, attributed to general inflation rather than a difference in care.
Why it matters
This is a useful example of no-significant-difference evidence: chiropractic and physiotherapy appear broadly comparable for back pain at one year. That means the choice between them can reasonably come down to preference or accessibility.
Why we included it
It illustrates that equivalence between two treatments is itself valuable evidence, not a disappointing result. Comparable options can reasonably be chosen on preference or accessibility rather than one dominating on outcomes.