One of the problems with chiropractic is people don’t like going to the chiropractor for the same reasons as the doctor. It can be a hassle to schedule, out of the way, frustrating to deal with insurance, and often expensive after dealing with insurance. But lump in a stark lack of awareness (50% of Americans don’t know what ‘chiropractic’ means) and a healthy dose of fear (30% know what it means but are scared to try), and it’s easy to understand why just 16% of adults visit a chiropractor each year (2017) while over 60% visit a dentist and over 80% visit a physician.

It could be natural that chiropractic reaches a smaller portion of the population as it is a form of alternative care. But it seems odd that the practice is severely underutilized in a core area — back pain — especially in light of patient reviews.

(Call it bias or insight, I happen to have had a great experience with one myself.)

39% of U.S. adults suffered from back pain within the previous three months (2019). Further, an estimated 80% of U.S. adults suffer from back pain at some point in their life. Of those who did visit a chiropractor, 77% considered the treatment “very effective.” Chiropractic is clearly more relevant than its current representation would indicate, and patients view the treatment favorably.

But to answer, “why is it underutilized?”, we turn to the history.

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Read the rest of why I think chiropractic could be an interesting growth opportunity.