The Top Healthcare Expense.
Back pain is the #1 expense in healthcare and the #2 reason for patient visits to doctor’s offices. During a recent study on back pain, primary care physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and neurosurgeons described the complexity of treating this omnipresent medical condition. Surprisingly, according to the experts, the overwhelming majority of patients who suffer from back pain will get better on their own, regardless of treatment. This is an important finding when considering the great deal of money spent on diagnostic and treatment modalities for back pain that are not always conclusive or effective. Multiple doctors report that, “Sometimes it just takes our reassurance that their backs will naturally get better on their own.” This is an important message to the American population where a vast majority of adults suffer from back pain in their lives due to obesity, pregnancy, arthritis, spinal conditions, or just the natural aging of the body.
November 3, 2011 | Research
