How Much is Neck Pain and Back Pain Really Costing the US?
“This topic of low back pain and neck pain is a consistent theme to every chiropractor and when looking at the research and statistics it seems obvious that most people would go with a non-invasive, drug-free approach first. Check out he highlights from an article by The Guardian titled, “Epidemic of untreatable back and neck pain costs billions, study finds.”
“Low back and neck pain is an increasingly widespread and expensive condition worldwide, costing the US alone $88bn a year – the third highest bill for any health condition – despite evidence most treatments do not work.”
“The latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, also produced by the IHME and published by the Lancet, showed it was “the leading global cause of disability in 2015 in most countries”
“The most remarkable thing, said Joseph Dieleman, lead author of the paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was the increase in treatment costs for lower back and neck pain, running at 6.5% a year against 3.5% overall. “In absolute terms, there was an increase from $30bn in 1996 to $88bn in 2013,”
“It’s about 30% of GP consultations,” said Karen Steadman, health, wellbeing and work lead at the foundation.”
“Injections, electrical nerve stimulation, opioid drugs and a whole host of other interventions are not recommended for lower back and neck pain. The Cochrane group have found no evidence in favor of using these or any other interventions; in the UK, guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises healthcare staff not to offer them.”
If you have been following Clear Connections Blog we highlighted this article because we believe that covering up the symptom is never a solution! That is the reason the list of interventions above is advised against. When we address the cause of the pains, neck pain and back pain, our goal is to create sustainable relief. Chiropractic care is an effective, safe, and cost friendly way to create lasting results and increase vitality!
“Reduced odds of surgery were observed for those whose first provider was a chiropractor – 42.7 percent of workers [with back injuries] who first saw a surgeon had surgery, in contrast to only 1.5 percent of those who saw a chiropractor.”
“Yet another a study that analyzed data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) beneciaries in Tennessee over a two-year span concluded: Low back pain initiated with a DC saves 40 percent on health care costs when compared with care initiated through a medical doctor (MD). “
Make the right choice for you and your family, that is going to effect the community and that will reach out to a wider and wider population. Just maybe we can skew the billions of dollars we spend on treatments that do not work and start living the life we want. Knowledge is power, considered yourself informed!
Yours in Health
Team at CCC