Costs of Delaying Treatment

Did you know, low back pain and that nagging shoulder problem that just won’t go away has a greater impact than just not letting you lift things?  The National Institute of Health (NIH) states, “Low back pain is the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work.”  1 in 4 adults suffer from chronic low back pain, and a recent study found that we spend $253 billion annually for treatment of low back pain in the United States. They also found that workers lose $131.8 billion dollars annually from lost wages due to low back pain alone.

So, how do we deal with these problems that interfere with our lives and may end up costing us money, not only in treatment, but in lost wages from having to miss work?  Many recent scientific studies have revealed that treating problems earlier can help save on these costs and may help avoid surgical intervention, prescription drugs, and ER visits. 

A group of researchers followed 150,000 patients for 1 year and found that patients who received care from a physical therapist following their initial health care visit had “lower out-of-pocket pharmacy and outpatient costs.”  They also found that patients who received physical therapy lowered the possibility of receiving an opioid prescription by 87% compared to those who didn’t receive physical therapy.  This study from 2018 from the University of Washington also showed similar results.

These articles focused specifically on low back pain because it’s such a common problem in the United States, but this idea of early intervention with physical therapy holds true across the board when it comes to any disorder of the musculoskeletal system (shoulder, knee, neck, etc.).  Many individuals who receive physical therapy intervention are able to avoid surgery, according to an article by Reuters Health, and another study revealed that people who received physical therapy recovered just as well as surgical patients for meniscus tears.  According to Dr. Laskowski (co-director of the Mayo Clinic for Sports Medicine) states, “As a general rule, if you’re experiencing major pain, but can move, consider physical therapy first.”

To sum it all up in one statement:

The longer an injury/problem goes without treatment, the worse it will get, the more it will cost, and the longer it will take to fix.