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 Solutions presents a few of the latest ones that are quite interesting and reassuring
of our San Jose 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 followed? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced 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% underwent
chiropractic, 26% received steroid injections and 66% took
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. At odds with guidelines for low back pain treatment, 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 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 large. (1) San Jose
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 alternatives for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the total non-operative
expenses for this condition. Injection costs were the highest,
costing $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 modalities. (3) San Jose neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor
at Chiropractic Solutions.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
New data revealed a 106% increase
in the number of physician visits for low back pain and extremity pain that led
to a referral to another physician inpart
because of ineffective outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that discussed this finding ended
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 require surgery would see
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your San Jose chiropractor at Chiropractic Solutions is ready
to be the San Jose non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our San Jose 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 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 reported
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 San Jose chiropractor delivers
just such relief and understands when to refer if necessary.
CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions
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 San Jose chiropractic
appointment now. Do not let numbers concern
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!