Have you heard it said that numbers don’t lie? There are lots of numbers available
in the world of back pain and neck pain statistics regarding costs and
outcomes. Spinal Care Clinic presents a few of the latest ones that are quite interesting and reassuring
of our Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic method using
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 observed? 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% utilized physical therapy, 50% experienced
chiropractic, 26% received steroid injections and 66% used
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. At odds with low
back pain treatment guidelines, most patients were prescribed
opioids while several non-drug treatments were utilized 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-pharmacological treatment option for commonly
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very large. (1) Burlington and Hamilton
back pain treatment costs are not that different.
COSTS OF BACK PAIN CARE
A review of Humana healthcare claims resulted in these findings: the pre-operative costs
of conservative treatment alternatives for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the overall non-operative
expenses for this condition. Injection costs were the highest,
coming in at $988 on average per patient. Other expenses
were – in order of cost expenditure - physical therapy ($510), medications (narcotics,
gabapentin, NSAIDs), bracing ($193), and chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy went
to diagnostic tests and such. (3) Burlington and Hamilton neck and back pain sufferers
have an experienced chiropractor
at Spinal Care Clinic.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
Recent data revealed 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 presented this finding concluded
with the suggestion that patients who are most likely to need surgery would be
referred to as their first subspeciality, a surgeon. Further,
patients who are less likely to need surgery would see
a non-operative spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor at Spinal Care Clinic is well-prepared
to be the Burlington and Hamilton non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Burlington and Hamilton 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 better
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 continued: 71.6% at the end of active
care and 70% at 2-year follow-up. (7) Your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor provides
just such relief and knows when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Byron Folwell on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes The Cox® Technic
System of Spinal Pain Management integration for relieving
post-surgical continued back pain.
Make your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic
appointment soon. Do not let numbers concern
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!