Back Pain Management In New York

Researchers in New York have determined that some people who suffer from back pain that is related to arthritis may not be experiencing pain relief that is long lasting with the current back pain management guidelines.

This kind of back pain accounts for as much as 15% of chronic lower back pain and this determination is adding fuel to a controversy that is ongoing about the best way to manage this type of pain.

These days, physicians perform as many as two supposed diagnostic nerve blocks by injecting anesthetics into the spine’s joints. If the pain is alleviated, the joint was the probably the cause of the pain.

Then, the physician will burn the nerves that carry the signals of pain from the joint by using radiofrequency waves. This procedure is performed numerous times in people in the United States each year.

In a recent study of 151 patients, it was suggested that the diagnostic blocks be skipped and directly treating the back pain with the radiofrequency treatment. It has been determined that this treatment provided 50% pain relief for a minimum of months in 1/3 of all patients for those who received as many as two diagnostic blocks and 22% were improved.

Since the radiofrequency treatments are no more dangerous than the nerve blocks and there are no side effects, researchers in New York are considering providing this treatment alone. Many patients would benefit from this treatment.

The researchers also determined that the cost for each treatment that was successful was less when physician didn’t perform the nerve blocks and amounted to nearly $6,300, or approximately $10,000 less than when nerve block treatment was performed alone.

A commentator on the study suggested that the current treatments were withholding prolonged pain relief from patients. However, many patients who suffer from lower back pain would be treated in vain because they wouldn’t benefit from the radiofrequency treatment.

The number of patients who actually received benefits by the treatment was nearly half as many for those patients who didn’t have any blocks performed as compared to those who had two blocks performed.

Although they may not benefit from the treatment, numerous patients from around the world would be candidates for it. Experts in the field believe that a realistic analysis of cost needs to be taken into account. The cost of radiofrequency treatment is approximately $650 for the first joint, and $350 for each additional joint. The cost of the nerve treatment is about half of that.