Have you heard it said that numbers don’t lie? With all the numbers out there about back and neck pain
costs and outcomes, we can put that to the test. Hollstrom & Associates Inc shares a few of the latest ones that are quite interesting and reassuring
of our Largo chiropractic approach 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-established. Are they observed? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced persistent low back
pain. These patients weren’t surgical candidates and had gone
through conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% underwent physical therapy, 50% experienced
chiropractic, 26% received steroid injections and 66% took
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. At odds with low
back pain treatment guidelines, most patients were given
opioids while several non-drug treatments were used by only a
few. (1) Another report detailed that 775,893 general practitioner
visits resulted in 6,904 referrals (just 0.89%) to physiotherapy, a
non-pharmacological treatment option for frequently
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very large. (1) Largo
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 alternatives for cervical spine
radiculopathy were just 37.7% of the total non-operative
costs for this condition. Injection costs were the highest,
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), and chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy went
to diagnostic modalities. (3) Largo neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractor
at Hollstrom & Associates Inc.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
Recent data showed a 106% increase
in the number of physician visits for low back pain and extremity pain that resulted in referral to another physician inpart
because of ineffective outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that talked about this finding concluded
with the suggestion that patients who are most likely to need surgery would see 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 Largo chiropractor at Hollstrom & Associates Inc is ready
to be the Largo non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Largo 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% reported ‘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% decrease of pain non-surgically
in a month. 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 more 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 Largo chiropractor delivers
just such relief and knows when to refer if necessary.
CONTACT Hollstrom & Associates Inc
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 incorporation for relieving
post-surgical continued back pain.
Schedule your Largo chiropractic
appointment today. Do not let numbers scare
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!