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. Chiropractic Care presents a few of the more
recent ones that are quite interesting and reassuring
of our West Palm Beach chiropractic approach 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 put into action? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced persistent low back
pain. These patients were not surgical candidates and had experienced conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% utilized 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 guidelines for low back pain treatment, 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 option for frequently
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very substantial. (1) West Palm Beach
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-surgical costs
of conservative treatment options for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 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 expenses
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) West Palm Beach neck and back pain sufferers
have an experienced chiropractor
at Chiropractic Care.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
New data showed a 106% increase
in the number of physician visits for low back pain and extremity pain that led
to a referral to another physician partially
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 meet with a surgeon
as their first subspecialty referral visit. Further,
patients who are less likely to need surgery would meet with
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your West Palm Beach chiropractor at Chiropractic Care is ready
to be the West Palm Beach non-surgical spine specialist this article describes
for our West Palm Beach 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 seek at minimum a 50% decrease 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 West Palm Beach chiropractor delivers
just such relief and understands when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Chiropractic Care
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.
Schedule your West Palm Beach chiropractic
appointment today. Don’t let numbers concern
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!