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. Satterwhite Chiropractic shares a few of the more
recent ones that are quite interesting and supportive
of our Oxford 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 undergone conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% utilized physical therapy, 50% experienced
chiropractic, 26% got 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 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-pharmacological treatment option for frequently
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very substantial. (1) Oxford
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 total non-operative
costs 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), and chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy went
to diagnostic modalities. (3) Oxford neck and back pain sufferers
have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor
at Satterwhite Chiropractic.
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 inpart
because of unsuccessful outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that discussed 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 Oxford chiropractor at Satterwhite Chiropractic is well-prepared
to be the Oxford non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Oxford 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 30 days. 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 more 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 Oxford chiropractor provides
just such relief and knows when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
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 Oxford chiropractic
appointment now. Do not let numbers concern
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!