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. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office shares a few of the more
recent ones that are really interesting and reassuring
of our Groton 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% 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 detailed that 775,893 general practitioner
visits led to 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 very substantial. (1) Groton
back pain treatment costs don’t vary that much.
COSTS OF BACK PAIN CARE
According
to a review of Humana insurance claims, the pre-surgical costs
of conservative treatment options for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the total non-surgical
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), then chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy went
to diagnostic modalities. (3) Groton neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractor
at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office.
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 resulted in referral to another physician partially
because of ineffective 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. Additionally,
patients who are less likely to require surgery would see
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your Groton chiropractor at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is well-prepared
to be the Groton non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Groton 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 least 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 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 Groton chiropractor provides
just such relief and understands when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
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 incorporation for relieving
post-surgical continued back pain.
Make your Groton chiropractic
appointment soon. Don’t let numbers worry
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!