According to an article published in Pain Medicine, new trends show that people who suffer from chronic pain are turning to alternative medicine therapies such as acupuncture and chiropractic visits.

For six years, the University of Michigan (UM) Health System Study observed the ethnic and racial patterns of more than 5,700 people who used alternative medicine to treat chronic pain. A team of researchers collected information from both black and white patients, which included socioeconomic characteristics, medical history, physical and social health characteristics and pain-related symptoms.

The results of the study found that white patients turned to alternative methods more often than black patients, and elderly people were more likely to use these treatments than younger adults. The researchers concluded that this pattern could be occurring because of higher education and income levels, as well as the different types of health insurance used by patients.

Furthermore, the researchers found that as people get older, they are more likely to be faced with chronic pain, which explains why the number of elderly patients seeking alternative treatments is higher.

Carmen R. Green, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology and, obstetrics and gynecology at UM, stated that "it’s helpful for physicians to know that patients are using these therapies so that we can minimize any risks or side effects associated with them."

Approximately 70 to 85 percent of adults in the United States suffer from lower back pain, one of the most common forms of chronic pain, according to the New York-Presbyterian Hospital.