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. Executive Chiropractic of Iowa shares a few of the latest ones that are really interesting and reassuring
of our West Des Moines 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 followed? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 had persistent low back
pain. These patients were not surgical candidates and had experienced conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% underwent physical therapy, 50% experienced
chiropractic, 26% got steroid injections and 66% used
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. In contradiction
to 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 led to 6,904 referrals (just 0.89%) to physiotherapy, a
non-drug treatment choice for commonly
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very large. (1) West Des Moines
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 options for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the total non-operative
expenses for this condition. Injection costs were the greatest,
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) West Des Moines neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor
at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa.
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 inpart
because of unsuccessful outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that presented this finding ended
with the suggestion that patients who are most likely to need surgery would meet with a surgeon
as their first subspecialty referral visit. Additionally,
patients who are less likely to require surgery would meet with
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your West Des Moines chiropractor at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa is ready
to be the West Des Moines non-surgical spine specialist this article describes
for our West Des Moines 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 least 50% reduction 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 West Des Moines chiropractor provides
just such relief and knows when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
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 Des Moines chiropractic
appointment now. Do not let numbers scare
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!