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. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic shares a few of the latest ones that are quite interesting and supportive
of our Montreal 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 observed? Of 100 million patient
healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced persistent low back
pain. These patients weren’t surgical candidates and had undergone conventional medical care. Of those 56,000,
60% underwent physical therapy, 50% experienced
chiropractic, 26% received steroid injections and 66% took
prescribed pain meds (57% opioids, 38% muscle relaxants). Were guidelines followed? Not exactly. In contradiction
to guidelines for low back pain treatment, most patients were given
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-pharmacological treatment choice for commonly
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were quite substantial. (1) Montreal
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-surgical costs
of conservative treatment options for cervical spine
radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the overall 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 were for diagnostic modalities. (3) Montreal neck and back pain sufferers
have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor
at Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic.
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 resulted in referral to another physician partly
because of ineffective outpatient conservative treatment.
The study that presented 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. Additionally,
patients who are less likely to require surgery would meet with
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your Montreal chiropractor at Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic is well-prepared
to be the Montreal non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Montreal 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 reduction in disability - at one year follow-up. (5)
Chiropractors using the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management seek at minimum a 50% decrease of pain non-surgically
in a month. 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 Montreal chiropractor delivers
just such relief and knows when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
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 Montreal chiropractic
appointment now. Do not let numbers worry
you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See
you soon!