Young Chiropractic Treats Back Pain and Neck Pain Cost and Pain-Reducing Effectively

Have you heard it said that 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. Young Chiropractic presents a few of the latest ones that are really interesting and supportive of our Easley chiropractic method 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-published.  Are they observed? Of 100 million patient healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced 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% used 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 utilized 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 commonly referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare costs of these patients were quite substantial. (1) Easley 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-surgical expenses 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), and chiropractic services ($193). 62% of overall costs for care of cervical radiculopathy were for diagnostic modalities.  (3) Easley neck and back pain sufferers have an experienced chiropractor at Young Chiropractic.

INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE

New data revealed a 106% increase in the number of physician visits for low back pain and extremity pain that led to a referral to another physician partially because of ineffective outpatient conservative treatment. The study that talked about this finding ended with the suggestion that patients who are most likely to need surgery would be referred to as their first subspeciality, a surgeon. Further, patients who are less likely to require surgery would meet with a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4) Your Easley chiropractor at Young Chiropractic is well-prepared to be the Easley non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests for our Easley 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 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 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 Easley chiropractor provides just such relief and understands when to refer if needed.

CONTACT Young Chiropractic

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 Easley chiropractic appointment today. Don’t let numbers concern you. Let them lead you down the path to pain relief. See you soon!