Publication Frequency and Google Trends Analysis of Popular Alternative Treatments to Arthritis

Pathak, Neil; Radford, Zachary J.; Kahan, Joseph B; Grauer, Jonathan N.; Rubin, Lee E.

doi:10.1016/j.artd.2021.12.009

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Interest has risen significantly since 2009, despite varying evidence of its efficacy as well as possible complications related to this invasive treatment [ 15 ]. Similar research has looked into the rising interest in using stem cell therapy as well as CBD for the treatment of arthritis, despite conflicting evidence regarding efficacy and safety profiles [ 6 ]. These differences have been found in popular alternative/adjunct treatments for common orthopedic conditions and align with our findings with scoliosis (Table 1 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Google is becoming increasingly popular for health inquiries, and Google Trends can be used to track the popularity of these inquiries over time. Studies involving Google Trends have been utilized to examine the popularity of various alternative treatments for common orthopedic conditions [ 5 , 6 ]. There have been discrepancies between the information on various treatments for orthopedic conditions found on a quick Google search and their validity and safety [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Alternative and Adjunct Treatments for Scoliosis: A Google Trends Analysis of Public Popularity Compared With Scientific Literature

Laubach¹,

Chiang²,

Sharma³

et al. 2023

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose As Google searches have often been found to provide inaccurate information regarding various treatments for orthopedic conditions, it becomes important to analyze search trends to understand what treatments are most popularly considered and the quality of information available. We sought to compare the public interest in popular adjunct/alternative scoliosis treatments to the published literature on these topics and assess any temporal trends in the public interest in these treatments. Methods The study authors compiled the most common adjunct/alternative treatments for scoliosis on PubMed. Chiropractic manipulation, Schroth exercises, physical therapy, pilates, and yoga, along with "scoliosis," were each entered into Google Trends, collected from 2004 to 2021. A linear regression analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was done to determine whether there was a linear relationship between Google Trends' popularity and PubMed publication data. The seasonal popularity of the terms was assessed using locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS) regression. Results Google Trends and publication frequency linear regression curves were different for chiropractic manipulation (p < 0.001), Schroth exercises (p < 0.001), physical therapy (p < 0.001), and pilates (p = 0.003). Chiropractic manipulation (p < 0.001), Schroth exercises (p = 0.003), and physical therapy (p < 0.001) had positive trends, and yoga (p < 0.001) had a negative trend. Chiropractic manipulation and yoga were more popular in the summer and winter months. Conclusion Google Trends can provide orthopedic surgeons and other healthcare professionals with valuable information on which treatments are gaining popularity with the public, so physicians may specifically inform themselves prior to patient encounters, leading to more productive shared decision-making.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%