“What should I do about my back pain? It’s been going on for
so long.”
Sound familiar? Sure, it does! Apple Country Chiropractic knows
Williamson
back pain patients struggle with this question. There
are a variety of options – rest, exercise, meds, manipulation, chiropractic,
medicine, yoga, acupuncture, surgery, etc. – which makes it difficult
to decide. Recent studies have looked at the cost,
safety, and risk of treatment escalation for patients who choose
spinal manipulation
initially compared with those who choose opioid
analgesic treatment first for their chronic low back pain. The findings
are thought-provoking.
COSTS OF OPIOID VS SMT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN MEDICARE
PATIENTS
Chronic low back pain is a costly condition, but just how
costly is it? A review of Medicare health spendings
for long-term care of chronic low back pain assessed the costs
of opioid analgesic treatment versus those for spinal manipulation
therapy. There were 28,160 participants aged 65-84 years old. 77% started
with opioid therapy for their chronic low back pain. 23% started
with SMT. The long-term expenses for opioid-therapy patients were 58%
lower, but long-term overall healthcare expenditures were 1.87
times greater for those same opioid patients. (1) Apple Country Chiropractic
follows a system of Williamson chiropractic treatment frequency guided
by the 50% Rule seeking 50% relief of pain within 30 days with more visits initially and fewer
as the pain reduces.
SAFETY OF OPIOIDS VS SMT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN MEDICARE
PATIENTS
Cost is one thing. What about safety? An analysis
of patient files of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 to 84 with chronic low back
pain for 5 years looked at the long-term safety of two usual
approaches to chronic low back pain: opioid
analgesic therapy and spinal manipulation therapy. The researchers considered
a few types of patient records: patients who only received
spinal manipulation, only received opioids, began with
opioids then had spinal manipulation, and began
with spinal manipulation then supplemented with opioids. What did
they find? The risk of adverse drug events was substantially
higher – 42 times higher - for patients who started with opioid
therapy first for their chronic back pain than those who commenced
care with spinal manipulation. (2) Apple Country Chiropractic utilizes the
well research-documented, safe, gentle protocols of Cox® Technic.
ESCALATION OF CARE RISK FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN MEDICARE
PATIENTS
Research documents another important factor in
back pain treatment: how well does a treatment keep a patient from having to
undergo more complex treatment? A third review of
Medicare patient data looked at
escalation of care risk – hospital stays, emergency room visits,
imaging, back surgery, pain med interventions, and other such encounters
for possible complications of chronic low back pain – in long-term
chronic low back pain care patients who started with opioid analgesic
therapy or spinal manipulation therapy. Starting care with
spinal manipulation therapy was linked to reduced
rates of escalation of care. The rate of escalated care encounters was 2.5 times
higher for opioid care patients. (3) The use of
Cox® Technic at Apple Country Chiropractic minimizes the need
for escalated care while carefully monitoring each patient for
any signs that such may be helpful or needed.
CONTACT Apple Country Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Nike Taylor on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes
treatment of chronic low back pain via the Cox® Technic Flexion
Distraction System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Williamson
chiropractic appointment now. Whether the response
to the question of “what should I do about my back pain?” was opioid treatment
or other care, spinal manipulation at Apple Country Chiropractic may well be your next (or
your initial if you are just starting the search
for help) treatment that will help you attain the back pain
relief you want in a cost-effective, safe way.