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. 2010 May-Jun;23(3):354-62.
doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2010.03.080252.

Perceived benefit of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for back pain: a national survey

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Free article

Perceived benefit of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for back pain: a national survey

Anup K Kanodia et al. J Am Board Fam Med. 2010 May-Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used to treat back pain, but little is known about factors associated with improvement.

Methods: We used data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey to examine the associations between the perceived helpfulness of various CAM therapies for back pain.

Results: Approximately 6% of the US population used CAM to treat their back pain in 2002. Sixty percent of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived a "great deal" of benefit. Using multivariable logistic regression, the factor associated with perceived benefit from CAM modalities was reporting that a reason for using CAM was that "conventional medical treatment would not help" (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% CI, 1.14-1.86). The 2 factors associated with less perceived benefit from CAM modalities were fair to poor self-reported health status (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41-0.82) and referral by a conventional medical practitioner for CAM (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.54-0.92). Using chiropractic as a reference, massage (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46-0.83), relaxation techniques (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.14-0.45), and herbal therapy (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.19-0.46) were all associated with less perceived benefit whereas those with similar perceived benefit included yoga/tai chi/qi gong (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.41-1.22) and acupuncture (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.37-1.38).

Conclusions: The majority of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived benefit. Specific factors and therapies associated with perceived benefit warrant further investigation.

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  • Guest family physician commentaries.
    Williamson PS. Williamson PS. J Am Board Fam Med. 2010 May-Jun;23(3):283-4. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2010.03.100051. J Am Board Fam Med. 2010. PMID: 20453173 No abstract available.

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