They say
numbers don’t lie. With all the numbers out there about back and neck pain
costs and outcomes, we can put that to the test. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre shares a few of the latest ones that are really interesting and reassuring
of our Toronto 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% underwent
chiropractic, 26% received 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 utilized 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-drug treatment choice for commonly
referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare
costs of these patients were quite substantial. (1) Toronto
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 total non-operative
costs for this condition. Injection costs were the highest,
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), then chiropractic services
($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy went
to diagnostic modalities. (3) Toronto neck and back pain patients
have an experienced chiropractor
at Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre.
INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE
Recent data revealed 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 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 meet with a surgeon
as their first subspecialty referral visit. Additionally,
patients who are less likely to need surgery would meet with
a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4)
Your Toronto chiropractor at Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre is well-prepared
to be the Toronto non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests
for our Toronto 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 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 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 continued: 71.6% at the end of active
care and 70% at 2-year follow-up. (7) Your Toronto chiropractor delivers
just such relief and knows when to refer if needed.
CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre
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 integration for reducing
post-surgical continued back pain.
Make your Toronto chiropractic
appointment soon. Don’t let numbers scare
you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See
you soon!