Cost of Treating Low Back Pain

A new study that was in the November 2010 issue of Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked at the cost effectiveness of chiropractic care vs medical care for the treatment of low back pain. The primary reason for this study was to determine if there are differences in the cost of low back pain treatment when a patient is able to choose between a medical doctor (MD) versus a doctor of chiropractic (DC), given that his/her insurance provides equal access to both provider types. The study was done on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s large group fully insured population between October 1, 2004 and September 30, 2006. The results of the study showed episodes of low back pain treatment initiated with a DC were 40% less than those who saw treatment of their low back pain with an MD. Read more

Back Pain; Chiropractic Manipulation Vs Muscle Relaxants

A study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapy looked at the efficacy of chiropractic manipulation over muscle relaxants for subacute lower back pain.  The design of the study was a randomized, double blind clinical trial. The study was done on 192 people that had low back pain for 2 to 6 weeks.  The people were divided into 3 groups; 1st group received chiropractic manipulations, 2nd group received muscle relaxants and the 3rd group got a placebo. The results showed that chiropractic manipulation was more beneficial for low back pain than both muscle relaxants and placebo when patients responded to the Global Impression of Severity Scale questionnaire. Read more

Chiropractors Talk About Sciatica

Sciatica is a crippling and debilitating symptom of a herniated disc or piriformis syndrome. Sciatica is described as radiating leg down the back of the leg. The pain can start from the back or even go only from the knee down. The pain can be different from person to person depending on the specific cause of the pain.  Whether the problem is from a herniation of a disc or a muscular problem such as piriformis syndrome, sciatica responds favorably with conservative treatment and physical therapy. At Mountain View Pain Center we work with the spine and the muscular system to relieve pain, and get to the route of what is causing the pain so the symptoms do not return in the future. One of the most beneficial treatments for sciatica is decompression therapy. This will relieve the pressure a disc herniation places on the nerve, removing the pain, numbness, or burning caused by the compression. Read more

Mountain View Pain Center Chiropractors Talk About The Cost Of Back Pain To American’s

The cost of back pain has grown higher and higher each year in the United States this is evident with the new research released by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  The costs of back pain have resin to more than $30 billion in 2007, that’s $14 billion higher compared to 1997.  The AHRQ reports that in 2007 27 million people age 18 and older have reported back pain and of that 19 million received medical treatment. The average out of pocket cost for treatment of back problems were $1,589 per adult in 2007 ($1,146 for outpatient care and $446 for prescription drugs).  As these healthcare cost continue to rise what is an effective treatment for back pain? Read more