Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-5-2024
Abstract
Introduction Physical therapy (PT) is recommended as a primary treatment for low back pain (LBP), a common and impactful musculoskeletal condition after limb loss. The purpose of this brief report is to report the duration and cost of PT care, and subsequent escalation of care events, for LBP in service members with and without limb loss. Materials and Methods This was a retrospective cohort, descriptive study. Service members with and without limb loss (matched) who received PT for LBP at a military treatment facility from 2015 to 2017 were included. Duration of PT care, number of PT visits, and escalation of care events 1 year after PT were extracted from medical records. Escalation of care events was identified as epidural steroid injections, referrals to specialists (e.g., orthopedists, spine surgeons, and pain management), and LBP-related hospitalizations.
LBP-related PT encounters were queried; duration of care, number of visits, and cost of care were quantified. Escalation of care events, including opioid prescription, epidural steroid injections, specialty referrals, and hospitalizations, were identified up to 1 year after PT care.
Results
The average course of PT care for LBP was 12.9 more visits, 48.7 days longer, and $764.50 more expensive in service members with limb loss (n = 16) vs. those without limb loss (n = 48). Higher rates of opioid prescriptions and specialty referrals were observed in service members with limb loss.
Conclusions
This study suggests that service members with limb loss and LBP received higher quantities and longer durations of PT than those without limb loss, yielding a nearly 4 times higher cost of PT.
Recommended Citation
Brittney M Gunterstockman, Brad D Hendershot, Joseph Kakyomya, Charity G Patterson, Christopher L Dearth, Shawn Farrokhi, Duration, Cost, and Escalation of Care Events for Physical Therapy Management of Low Back Pain in Service Members With Limb Loss, Military Medicine, 2024;, usae455, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae455
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2024. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
Comments
This article was originally published in Military Medicine in 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usae455