Treatment provider preference of Australian office workers for common neurologic and musculoskeletal conditions

Objective: The purpose of this study was to survey the choice of treatment provider by selected Australian office workers for common conditions that are managed in chiropractic practice. Methods: Office workers of a medium-sized legal company in Sydney, Australia, were surveyed. The participants (n = 125) were asked to complete a written questionnaire on their preferred treatment choices for common physical conditions, such as back pain, neck pain, and headache. Results: A total of 81 people returned completed questionnaires. Forty-two people (52%) reported that they would attend a general medical practitioner first for back pain. In comparison, 24% of people reported that they would attend a physiotherapist first for back pain. Eleven people (13%) reported that they would attend a chiropractor first for back pain. Fifty-one percent (51%) of employees reported that their preferred treatment first choice for neck pain was a general practitioner. Chiropractic was rated as third (30%) most common choice for the treatment of neck pain (equal with physiotherapy). The preferred first choice (63% of employees) for headache treatment was a general practitioner. The second most common choice for treatment of headache was a naturopath (50%). Eighty-one percent of employees ranked a general practitioner as their preferred treatment first choice for migraine, and 39% of employees also ranked the general practitioner as the second most common treatment choice for migraine. Conclusions: In this sample of Australian workers, chiropractic was rated within the top 3 choices for several common neuromusculoskeletal conditions for which they may have chosen a chiropractor. Because of the small sample size and limited parameters of this study, no strong conclusions can be made until further data are collected.