Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC 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. Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC shares a few of the more recent ones that are quite interesting and reassuring of our La Grande 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 observed? Of 100 million patient healthcare insurance claims, 56,000 experienced persistent low back pain. These patients were not surgical candidates and had gone through conventional medical care. Of those 56,000, 60% utilized 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. Contrary to low back pain treatment guidelines, most patients were prescribed 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 frequently referred problems like low back pain and osteoarthritis. (2) The healthcare costs of these patients were quite large. (1) La Grande back pain treatment costs are not that different.

COSTS OF BACK PAIN CARE

A review of Humana healthcare claims resulted in these findings: the pre-operative costs of conservative treatment options for cervical spine radiculopathy were only 37.7% of the overall non-operative expenses for this condition. Injection costs were the highest, coming in at $988 on average per patient. Other expenses 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 tests and such.  (3) La Grande neck and back pain sufferers have an experienced chiropractic option in their chiropractor at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC.

INTERPROFESSIONAL REFERRAL FOR BACK PAIN CARE

New data revealed a 106% rise 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 presented 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. Further, patients who are less likely to require surgery would meet with a non-surgical spine specialist or primary care physician. (4) Your La Grande chiropractor at Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is well-prepared to be the La Grande non-surgical spine specialist this article suggests for our La Grande 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 seek at minimum a 50% decrease of pain non-surgically in a month. In a 1000 cases study of Cox® Technic treatment outcomes, leg pain radicular patients improved significantly better with Cox® Technic flexion distraction therapy than with physical therapy. (6) In a study of post-surgical continued back pain patients, 81% of them scored 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 La Grande chiropractor provides just such relief and understands when to refer if necessary.

CONTACT Dr. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC

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 La Grande chiropractic appointment today. Do not let numbers worry you. Let them enlighten your path to pain relief. See you soon!