Asymptomatic Vertebral Subluxations in Chiropractic Patients Presenting for Care in Germany
Kai Haselmeyer HP, Stephanie Haselmeyer MD
Annals of Vertebral Subluxation Research ~ January 28, 2016 ~ Pages 6-9
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the percentage of asymptomatic subluxations in patients presenting to chiropractic offices in Germany.
Data Collection: Data was collected via email questionnaire sent out to 25 German chiropractors. The chiropractors were asked to estimate the number of their patients who present with subluxations that were not conscious to the patient and not symptomatic before detection by the managing chiropractor. They were also asked to estimate the number of patients visiting their office per week.
Results: 19 of the 25 chiropractors receiving the questionnaire provided data. The 19 participating chiropractors together see an estimated average of 3,100 patients per week. The estimated number of patients presenting with at least one asymptomatic subluxation ranged between 60% to 100%. On average, 93.73% of patients presented with asymptomatic subluxations. The average number of patients seen per week was 172.2.
Conclusion: Our data demonstrated that 93.73% of the patients presenting to 19 chiropractic offices in Germany had asymptomatic subluxations. This lends support to the widespread view among chiropractors that patients should be checked for subluxations regardless of symptoms being present.
Key words: Chiropractic, vertebral subluxation, epidemiology, Germany, adjustment, spinal manipulation
