Comparison Of Manchester Back Pain Relief Via Opioid Or Spinal Manipulation
“What should I do about my back pain? It’s been going on for so long.”
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? An analysis of Medicare health expenditures 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% began with opioid therapy for their chronic low back pain. 23% began with SMT. The long-term costs for opioid-therapy patients were 58% lower, but long-term overall healthcare expenditures were 1.87 times higher for those same opioid patients. (1) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries follows a system of Manchester chiropractic treatment frequency guided by the 50% Rule seeking 50% relief of pain within 30 days with more visits initially and less as the pain reduces.
SAFETY OF OPIOIDS VS SMT FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN MEDICARE PATIENTS
Cost is one thing. What about safety? A review 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 treatment options for chronic low back pain: opioid analgesic therapy and spinal manipulation therapy. The researchers considered a variety of patient records: patients who only received spinal manipulation, only received opioids, started with opioids then underwent spinal manipulation, and began with spinal manipulation then added opioids. What did they discover? The risk of adverse drug events was substantially higher – 42 times higher - for patients who started with opioid therapy initially for their chronic back pain than those who started with spinal manipulation. (2) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries 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 key 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 studied the risk of escalated treatments – hospital stays, ER visits, imaging, back surgery, pain med interventions, and other types of encounters for potential complications of chronic low back pain – in long-term chronic low back pain care patients who began with opioid analgesic therapy or spinal manipulation therapy. Commencing care with spinal manipulation therapy was linked to lower rates of escalation of care. The rate of escalated care encounters was 2.5 times greatear for opioid treatment patients. (3) The use of Cox® Technic at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries minimizes the requirement for escalated care while carefully monitoring each patient for indications that such may be helpful or needed.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nike Taylor on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she discusses treatment of chronic low back pain with the Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your Manchester 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 Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries may well be your next (or your initial if you are just beginning the search for help) treatment that will help you attain the back pain relief you want in a cost-effective, safe way.
