Research Article

Chiropractic - Is it Worth the Taxpayer’s Expense as an NHS Service?

Ikenna Idika Ogbu, Chandrasekaran Kaliaperumal

Abstract

Chiropractic remains a service provided outside the NHS in the United Kingdom and the argument for inclusion has been ongoing since the 90’s.Thereare significant patient-reported benefits from chiropractic backed by evidence in specific use-cases as cervicogenic headaches and there aresignificant potential cost-savings from theinclusion of chiropractic as an NHS service. The evidence, however, does not particularly favour the use case of chiropractic,especially in the context of LowBack Pain (LBP) and thebenefits of chiropractic are unclear. Considering the potential cost-savings for the NHS and thesociety, there should be consideration for its inclusion. However, theevidence will need to be clearer to argue for inclusion of chiropractic in the NHS spectrum of services, especially for spinal services.