Access to essential health care is limited in economically depressed urban areas. Federally qualified health centers strive to bridge the gap of care to these areas by providing affordable, comprehensive health care. Some of the risk factors for chronic pain happen to be the same risk factors that are common among those who utilize FQHCs (low education level, low socioeconomic status, and higher rate of substance dependence or abuse). Therefore, those more likely to have chronic pain are also more likely to have their healthcare needs met at FQHCs. Also, those dependent on opioids frequently have multiple medical and psychiatric comorbidities.

The recent and ongoing literature provides ample evidence that the management of chronic pain needs amending in part due to the amount of deaths related to prescription opioid medications. Although chiropractic care does not treat chronic pain by itself, it may serve as an important addition in an integrated healthcare setting and may play an important role in reduction of opioid dependence.

Chiropractic care not only has high patient satisfaction, it also provides positive objective results. Chiropractic care can have a positive influence on the patient's pain and on the duration of their pain, which helps the patients and the healthcare system save money. A study found that older patients with multiple comorbidities who used only chiropractic manipulative therapy during their chronic low back pain (LBP) episodes had lower overall costs of care, shorter episodes of LBP, and lower cost of care per episode day than patients in the other treatment groups, which included treatment by conventional medicine. The addition of chiropractic care in FQHCs has proven beneficial in such an integrated setting.

Presented as a service to the community by: Union County Chiropractic Clinic, 110 Skyline Drive, Maynardville, TN (865) 992-7000 www.unioncountychiropractic.com.