The Role of Insurance Coverage in the Carrolltown Back Surgery or Non-Surgical Care Choice
“Back surgery is one of the most overused types of surgery as well as the most common ailment that sends patients to doctors, chiropractors, and physical therapists,” reports Crain’s Detroit Business magazine’s article titled Health Insurers Look for Ways to Cut Costs with Back Surgery. What a way to start an article! It goes on:
- $90 billion on low back pain alone annually
- 1.2 million spinal surgeries a year
- $60,000 to $110,000 per lumbar fusion surgery (the fastest-growing type of surgery in the past decade)
The back surgery failure rate, the so-called “failed back syndrome” or the more “politically correct” term “post-surgical continued pain syndrome,” is as high as 50%. (1) With healthcare spending in the US over $3.5 trillion - $10,739 a person – it is no wonder that insurers look for another way to cut costs, particularly when one-third of the money goes to hospital care of chronic illnesses. (2) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is well-equipped and confident in offering non-hospital-based care to help Carrolltown back pain – chronic and acute – patients find relief of and manage their back pain – as well as post-surgical continued back pain - non-surgically.
LOW BACK PAIN FACTS
Low back pain is the leading cause of years lived with disability globally. Today, recommendations for low back pain relief care discourage pain medications, steroid injections and spine surgery and encourage physical therapy and psychological therapy. Healthcare systems tend to struggle with these new approaches. Why? Pharmaceutical companies’ financial interests, old payment systems that favor medical care, outdated traditions, and legal, personal, political, and societal beliefs of us all. These concepts are presented in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, believe it or not. (3) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation reads this with interest.
BACK SURGERY CHOICE
Considering these facts, it’s not hard to believe that some back pain sufferers will choose back surgery over non-surgical management of their back pain. “Patients go where insurance pays, even if it is surgery.” In one study, back pain sufferers chose to visit a primary care physician (PCP) or physical therapist (PT) or chiropractor first based on their health plan type, co-payment, and deductible. Amending these factors to make them more valuable/less expensive/less restrictive as to provider type could inspire low back pain sufferers to choose non-hospital, conservative treatment instead of back surgery. (4) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is all for this! Less than 1% of back pain sufferers must have back surgery. (5) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is ready to assist the other 99% of the Carrolltown back pain sufferers manage their back pain and adapt their lifestyles to live with the spine they have and deal with its episodes of pain and relief.
RECURRENT BACK PAIN
Carrolltown back pain sufferers are not alone if their back pain comes back. It happens. It is controllable. It’s manageable. Some data first: Within a year of recovery, 69% of patients had another episode of back pain of some sort. Awkward postures, long sitting times, and more than 2 prior back pain experiences spark the risk of back pain recurrence. (6) It’s ok though. Really! Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation helps Carrolltown back pain patients navigate these recurrences and deal with them so they don’t limit anyone’s enjoyment of life. We have a treatment plan!
CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation
Listen to Dr. Kimble Cater on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson share how he helped an expectant mother with her repeated episodes of back pain. Whether you’re pregnant or not, Carrolltown chiropractic care at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation can help you cope with repeated episodes of back pain, too.
Schedule a Carrolltown chiropractic appointment at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation for back pain relief. Our care is not overused! The gentle, effective, evidence-based system of Cox® Technic seeks 50% relief within 4-6 weeks of care and often gets 70%, 80%, 90% and more for many of our patients at less cost – in terms of finances and lifestyle – than back surgery.
