Study Finds that Starting with Chiropractic Saves 40% on Low Back Pain Care

A new study finds that low back pain care initiated with a doctor of chiropractic (DC) saves 40 percent on health care costs when compared with care initiated through a medical doctor (MD), the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) announced today. The study, featuring data from 85,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield beneficiaries, concludes that insurance companies that restrict access to chiropractic care for low back pain treatment may inadvertently pay more for care than they would if they removed such restrictions.

Low back pain is a significant public health problem. Up to 85 percent of Americans have back pain at some point in their lives. In addition to its negative effects on employee productivity, back pain treatment accounts for about $50 billion annually in health care costs—making it one of the top 10 most costly conditions treated in the United States.

The study, “Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Initiated With Chiropractic Doctor vs. Medical Doctor/Doctor of Osteopathy as First Physician: Experience of One Tennessee-Based General Health Insurer,” which is available online and will also be published in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, looked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s intermediate and large group fully insured population over a two-year span. The insured study population had open access to MDs and DCs through self-referral, and there were no limits applied to the number of MD/DC visits allowed and no differences in co-pays.

Results show that paid costs for episodes of care initiated by a DC were almost 40 percent less than care initiated through an MD. After risk-adjusting each patient’s costs, researchers still found significant savings in the chiropractic group. They estimated that allowing DC-initiated episodes of care would have led to an annual cost savings of $2.3 million for BCBS of Tennessee.

“As doctors of chiropractic, we know firsthand that our care often helps patients avoid or reduce more costly interventions such as drugs and surgery. This study supports what we see in our practices every day,” said ACA President Rick McMichael, DC. “It also demonstrates the value of chiropractic care at a critical time, when our nation is attempting to reform its health care system and contain runaway costs.”

Source: American Chiropractic Association

Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Considered An Effective Treatment For Back Pain

As new clinical research demonstrating the positive outcomes of this form of therapy continues to surface, it has not take long for the spinal decompression therapyto be widely used in Vancouver as an effective treatment option for chronic back pain conditions. With millions of people suffering with back pain worldwide and individuals searching for alternative ways to find chronic back pain relief, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy arises. Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy has successfully treated many back pain sufferers who received unsatisfactory results with traditional treatment methods such as bed rest, pain medications, or surgery.

Spinal decompression therapy can be found at Vancouver Spinal Decompression Center in Vancouver, B.C. In a study published in Pain Practice, patient outcomes indicated that chronic low back pain improved with treatment on the DRX9000 Non-surgical Spinal Decompression System.

The study indicated that patients with a mean pain duration of 535 weeks which is over 10 years reported a mean verbal numerical pain intensity rating equal to 6.05 on a 0 to 10 scale prior to treatment with spinal decompression. Patients were treated at four different back pain clinics throughout the United States. They received thirty minute spinal decompression therapy sessions daily for the first two weeks and then it tapered down to one session per week.

Patients in the study reported a decrease in analgesic use and improvement in activities of daily living. After the completion of the Non-surgical Spinal Decompression program, the mean verbal numerical pain intensity rating decreased to a statistically and clinically significant rating of 0.89.

The authors were able to follow-up at a mean 31 weeks with 29 patients and reveal mean values of 83% improvement in back pain and satisfaction of 8.55 on a 10-point scale. None of these 29 patients reported requiring surgery.

For more information about spinal decompression therapy, Dr. Ali Akhavan, D.C. at Vancouver Spinal Decompression Center can be reached at 604-984-4601. As more clinical research demonstrating positive results utilizing this form of treatment is disseminated, the question may no longer be whether it’s effective but rather which office offer it. Vancouver Spinal decompression center in Vancouver has successfully treated many patients with back pain, leg pain, sciatica, pinched nerves and more.

Please note, like any other medical therapy, individual patient results varies.

Another Spinal Decompression Success Story

“I came to Dr. Akhavan feeling hopeless and convinced that I would never run again. I had chronic back and leg pain. I couldn’t even walk the dog.  After two weeks of treatments, I was sleeping through the night for the first time in 8 months.  After 6 weeks, I was walking and biking to work. After 8 weeks, I was biking the seawall and my leg stopped burning.  After 10 weeks, I have started to jog.  Spinal decompression therapy  has given me my life back and there is no greater gift.  I would recommend the spinal decompression therapy to others because it works and I didnt have to get surgery!

The positivity, professionalism, and optimisim of Dr. Akhavan made me feel very well taken care of, supported and mentored. I think you are amazing. “

K. M. Vancouver, B.C.

“Another Spinal Decompression Therapy Success Story”

“Dr. Ali has given me a new lease on life.  At my age of 42, I felt broken and was really worried that nothing appeared to be working.  Then I was refrred to Dr. Ali, after a few weeks, my back pain started feeling better and now I am able to go to the gym and regular life again.  A huge thank you.”

Herniated Disc

A person suffering from lower back or leg pain may be diagnosed with a herniated disc.  In order to truly understand what this means, it is important to know what a disc is made up of and what the functions are of a healthy disc.   A disc is made up of a tough outer core and a gel-like inner material.   A disc functions as a spacer, shock absorber, and motion unit.

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