News posted on February 08, 2009 06:30
Neck problems account for considerable pain and stiffness that can
lead to work absenteeism, disability and use of healthcare resources.
Various conservative interventions have been proposed for treating
neck pain, but few scientific evaluations have included any analysis of
their cost-effectiveness.
A study published in the British Medical Journal compared the
effectiveness of manual therapy, physiotherapy and general practitioner
care in reducing neck pain of 183 suffering patients. Manual therapy
included manipulation of the joints in the spine and work on the
muscles; physiotherapy consisted mainly of exercise; general
practitioner care included counseling, education and analgesics.
Outcome measures included perceived recovery, intensity of pain,
functional disability and quality of life; direct and indirect costs were
measured to determine mean costs between groups, overall costeffectiveness,
and cost-utility ratios. Patients completed cost diaries for
one year, providing data on direct healthcare costs of practitioner care;
additional visits to other healthcare providers; drugs; professional home
care; and hospitalization. Direct non-healthcare costs included out-of pocket expenses; paid and unpaid help; and travel expenses. Indirect
costs (lost of production attributable to work absenteeism or days of
inactivity for those with or without a job) also were evaluated.
Results: Manual therapy was the most effective of the three
treatments, with 68% of patients demonstrating recovery after seven
weeks, compared to 51% in the physiotherapy group and 36% in the
general practitioner group.
These differences were significant at six-month follow-up. Manual
therapy also proved significantly more cost-effective than the other two
interventions at one year, with total costs approximately one-third the
costs of either physiotherapy or general practitioner care.
SOURCE: http://www.chiropracticresearchreview.com/crr/article.php?id=80