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April 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
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KORT Physical TheRaPisT says TReaTmenT
fOR lOw BacK Pain can Be cOsTly
Low back pain (LBP) affects at least 80% of us at some time
in our lives according to the American Spinal Decompression
Association. Treatment for low back pain accounts for nearly
3% of all physician appointments in the US. Duke Medical
Center researchers found that patients suffering from back
pain consume more than $90 billion annually in health-care
expenses, with approximately $26 billion of that amount
directly attributable to treating the back pain.
“To say treatment of low back pain is costly is an
understatement,” said KORT Physical Therapist Dr. Chris
Kaczmarek PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS. “That’s why it is so
important for patients to get the right care as quickly as
possible. Not only will this save them money, but the sooner
their pain is treated the more quickly they can return to their
daily lives.”
Delayed Treatment Means Pain in Back and Wallet
According to Kaczmarek, the traditional wait and see
approach by patients has become more common due to
rising healthcare costs and health insurance changes.
“As healthcare costs in the form of copayments and
deductibles rise, more patients are delaying treatment in
the hopes things will improve on their own. However, this
approach actually costs patients and insurance companies
more in the long run. In addition, to the added costs, the
recurrence rate for untreated, first-time low back pain may
be as high as 80%,” said Kaczmarek.
Untreated recurrence of back pain is often more painful and
harder to treat since the issue was not correctly addressed
the first time around, said Kaczmarek. The longer a patient
waits to seek care, the more challenging their condition
becomes, the higher cost and greater likelihood it will develop
into a chronic condition, according to Kaczmarek.
“In light of the best available research, the timing and type
of intervention are critical to outcome and overall cost.
Someone experiencing a bout of acute low back pain
should seek out intervention within 14 days of experiencing
symptoms,” said Kaczmarek. “This is true of most injuries as
well. Seeking care as soon as possible after injury is always
the best course.”
A 2012 study by Fritz and associates of 30,070 patients with
the complaint of low back pain found that early treatment
saved patients and insurance companies $2,736.23 in total
healthcare costs versus patients who delayed treatment by
15 or more days following symptoms.
Another study by Gelhorn and associates found that patients
receiving immediate physical therapy care after an acute
bout of low back pain ultimately had fewer corticosteroid
injections, diagnostic imaging, and overall number of
physician visits--resulting in less overall cost to the patient.
Advancements in Treatment of Low Back Pa [