Chiropractic care, massage therapy, naturopathy, and yoga are particularly popular. 

The common use of complementary approaches to healthcare in the U.S. prompted investigators to explore changes in use over time, and specifically use of complementary approaches for pain management. About 30,000 responses to a national health interview from 2002, 2012 and 2022 were used to assess the frequency and purpose of acupuncture, guided imagery, massage, naturopathy, chiropractic care, yoga, and meditation. Use of all 7 forms of complementary approaches for any reason increased significantly from 2002 to 2022. For example, use of chiropractic care increased from about 7% to 11%, meditation increased from 7% to 17%, massage therapy increased from 5% to 11%, and yoga increased from 5% to 15%.
Among those using chiropractic care in 2022, 85% did so for pain management. About 50% of patients who used massage therapy or naturopathy and about one third of those who practiced yoga did so for pain management.

COMMENT
These results remind us to ask our patients specifically about use of these approaches to get a full picture of how patients are managing their pain. We also should be prepared to answer questions about the effectiveness of these approaches for pain management, since they often require out-of-pocket payments. — Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Dr. Schwenk is Professor Emeritus of Family and Community Medicine, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno.

Nahin RL et al. Use of complementary health approaches overall and for pain management by US adults. JAMA 2024 Jan 25; [e-pub]. (https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.26775)

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