"Chiropractic care appeared relatively cost-effective for the treatment of chronic low-back pain. Chiropractic and medical care performed comparably for acute patients. Practice-based clinical outcomes were consistent with systematic reviews of spinal manipulative efficacy: manipulation-based therapy is at least as good as and, in some cases, better than other therapeusis."

– Haas et al (2005), Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

"A comparison of the cost of chiropractic care versus the cost of medical care for various health conditions (predominantly low-back pain, spinal-related sprains, strains, dislocations, arthritis, and disc disorders), revealed that "chiropractic is a lower cost option for several prominent back-related ailments ... If chiropractic care is insured to the extent other specialists are stipulated, it may emerge as a first option for patients with certain medical conditions. This could very well result in a decrease in overall treatment costs for these conditions" (Dean and Schrnidt 1992)

A review of data from over two million users of chiropractic care in the United States was reported in the Journal of American Health Policy. Initial analysis indicated that "chiropractic users tend to have substantially lower total health care costs" and "chiropractic care reduces the use of both physician and hospital care" (Stano et al. 1992)

In 2004 researchers at UCLA noted: Access to managed chiropractic care may reduce overall health care expenditures through several effects, including (1) positive risk selection; (2) substitution of chiropractic for traditional medical care, particularly for spine conditions; (3) more conservative, less invasive treatment profiles; and (4) lower health service costs associated with managed chiropractic care. Systematic access to managed chiropractic care not only may prove to be clinically beneficial but also may reduce overall health care costs.