They say
numbers don’t lie. There are lots of numbers available
in the world of back pain and neck pain statistics regarding costs and
outcomes. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka shares a few of the latest ones that are really interesting and reassuring
of our Sitka chiropractic method integrating
the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
OPTIONS USED FOR BACK PAIN VS BACK PAIN GUIDELINE
RECOMMENDATIONS
Treatment guidelines for back pain are well-published. Are they put into action? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 had persistent low back
pain. These patients weren’t surgical candidates and had experienced conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% underwent physical therapy, 50% underwent
chiropractic, 26% received steroid injections and 66% took
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. Contrary to low
back pain treatment guidelines, most patients were prescribed
opioids while several non-drug treatments were used by only a
few. (1) Another report stated that 775,893 general practitioner
visits resulted in 6,904 referrals (just 0.89%) to physiotherapy, a
non-drug treatment choice for frequently
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were quite large. (1) Sitka
back pain treatment costs don’t vary that much.
COSTS OF BACK PAIN CARE
A review of Humana healthcare claims resulted in these findings: the pre-surgical costs
of conservative treatment options for cervical spine
radiculopathy were just 37.7% of the overall non-operative
costs for this condition. Injection costs were the greatest,
coming in at $988 on average per patient. Other costs
were – in order of cost expenditure - physical therapy ($510), medications (narcotics,
gabapentin, NSAIDs), bracing ($193), then chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy were for diagnostic tests and such. (3) Sitka neck and back pain sufferers
have an experienced chiropractor
at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
Recent data showed a 106% rise
in the number of physician visits for low back pain and extremity pain that led
to a referral to another physician partially
because of unsuccessful outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that discussed this finding ended
with the suggestion that patients who are most likely to need surgery would meet with a surgeon
as their first subspecialty referral visit. Further,
patients who are less likely to require surgery would meet with
a non-operative spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your Sitka chiropractor at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka is ready
to be the Sitka non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Sitka low back pain and neck pain and arm pain and leg pain
sufferers!
CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF TREATMENT
Of 609 patients with sciatica and back-related leg pain
visiting primary care physicians, only 55% gave an account of ‘improvement’
– just 30% or more decrease in disability - at one year follow-up. (5)
Chiropractors using the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management strive
for at minimum a 50% reduction of pain non-surgically
in 30 days. In a 1000 cases study of Cox® Technic treatment
outcomes, leg pain radicular patients improved significantly more
with Cox® Technic flexion distraction therapy than with physical therapy. (6)
In a study of post-surgical continued back pain patients, 81% of them scored
greater than 50% relief of pain in 11 visits in 49 days (mean). At two your
follow-up, 78.6% of them still had greater than 50% relief of pain.
Mean relief of pain was maintained: 71.6% at the end of active
care and 70% at 2-year follow-up. (7) Your Sitka chiropractor provides
just such relief and knows when to refer if necessary.
CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Byron Folwell on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management integration for relieving
post-surgical continued back pain.
Schedule your Sitka chiropractic
appointment soon. Do not let numbers scare
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!