Title:
The Role of Chiropractic Care in the Treatment of Dizziness or Balance Disorders: Analysis of National Health Interview Survey Data
A ChiroSecure Research Update
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the role of chiropractic in the treatment of dizziness or balance disorders through an analysis of data from the 2008 National Health Interview Survey.
Discussion:
Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the likelihood that respondents with dizziness or balance problems perceived that they were helped by specified practitioners. Eleven percent of respondents reported having had a balance or dizziness problem; more than 35% were aged 65 years and older.
The odds ratio for perceiving being helped by a chiropractor was 4.36 (95% CI, 1.17-16.31) for respondents aged 65 years or older; 9.5 (95% CI, 7.92-11.40) for respondents reporting head or neck trauma; and 13.78 (95% CI, 5.59-33.99) for those reporting neurological or muscular conditions as the cause of their balance or dizziness.
Conclusion:
The National Health Interview Survey data indicate that, although seeking chiropractic care for balance and dizziness is not highly prevalent, a higher proportion of those who do report that it has helped their condition, compared to all other health professions in the analysis. Those who were older and who reported the cause of their balance problem to be head or neck trauma or neuromusculoskeletal were most likely to report being helped by chiropractic. Thus future research might focus on the role of spinal manipulation for older adults with cervicogenic dizziness, specifically.
Reference:
Ndetan H, Hawk C, Sekhon VK, Chiusano M. The Role of Chiropractic Care in the Treatment of Dizziness or Balance Disorders: Analysis of National Health Interview Survey Data. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. 2016;21(2):138-142. doi:10.1177/2156587215604974. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2156587215604974