The impact of specialised treatment of low back pain on health care costs and productivity in a nationwide cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common diagnosis responsible for sick leave, long-term disability payments, and early retirements. Studies have suggested that the relatively small proportion of patients referred to a specialist for treatment, either conservative or surgical, accounts for most of the total costs of back pain. However, a complete and long-term picture of the socioeconomic burden associated with these two treatment regimens is lacking.

Methods

From a cohort encompassing the entire population in Denmark (5.8 million inhabitants), we identified patients with LBP referred to specialised treatment, either conservative or surgical, during 2007-2016. According to treatment modality, two different cohorts were constructed. Each patient was matched with ten

SUBMITTER: Solumsmoen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8718977 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature