Have you heard it said that numbers don’t lie? There are lots of numbers available
in the world of back pain and neck pain statistics regarding costs and
outcomes. New Roads Chiropractic Center shares a few of the more
recent ones that are really interesting and reassuring
of our New Roads 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 had persistent low back
pain. These patients weren’t surgical candidates and had gone
through conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% utilized physical therapy, 50% underwent
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 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) New Roads
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 just 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 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) New Roads neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor
at New Roads Chiropractic Center.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
New data revealed a 106% rise
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 discussed 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 need surgery would meet with
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your New Roads chiropractor at New Roads Chiropractic Center is well-prepared
to be the New Roads non-surgical spine specialist this article describes
for our New Roads 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% gave an account of ‘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% 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 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 continued: 71.6% at the end of active
care and 70% at 2-year follow-up. (7) Your New Roads chiropractor delivers
just such relief and understands when to refer if necessary.
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
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 reducing
post-surgical continued back pain.
Make your New Roads chiropractic
appointment now. Do not let numbers worry
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!