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. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center presents a few of the more
recent ones that are quite interesting and reassuring
of our Manahawkin 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-established. Are they put into action? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced 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% experienced
chiropractic, 26% got steroid injections and 66% took
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. Contrary 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 stated that 775,893 general practitioner
visits resulted in 6,904 referrals (just 0.89%) to physiotherapy, a
non-pharmacological treatment option for commonly
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were very large. (1) Manahawkin
back pain treatment costs don’t vary that much.
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 just 37.7% of the overall non-surgical
expenses for this condition. Injection costs were the greatest,
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 tests and such. (3) Manahawkin neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractor
at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center.
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 partly
because of ineffective outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that talked about 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 Manahawkin chiropractor at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center is ready
to be the Manahawkin non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Manahawkin 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 reduction in disability - at one year follow-up. (5)
Chiropractors using the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management seek at minimum a 50% reduction 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 maintained: 71.6% at the end of active
care and 70% at 2-year follow-up. (7) Your Manahawkin chiropractor provides
just such relief and understands when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
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 reducing
post-surgical continued back pain.
Make your Manahawkin chiropractic
appointment today. Do not let numbers scare
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!