WAC Magazine

August 2013

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Wellness By Stuart Eivers, Physical Therapist Tamela Thomas, Wellness Manager tamelat@wac.net 206.464.4639 Does it hurt to walk, sit or lay down? I t's easy to see why back pain is the most commonly reported disability for people 45 years and older. Back pain has a huge impact in our lives. It can hurt to walk, sit, and even lay down. Suddenly your world slows down. Getting out of the car, for example, can take what seems like an eternity. You may need to inch your body into a favorable position and secure handholds that will help support your weight as you prepare for your final ascent to vertical. Others with back pain need to take itty-bitty shuffle steps. And don't even get me started on how much longer it takes to dress or the problems you'll face if you have a baby or toddler in your life. Manual Therapy International's Stuart Eivers, a longtime provider of physical therapy services here at the WAC Wellness Center, addresses back pain and treatment options in the following article. We hope you find this information useful. And remember, when you do need some help, we're here. 28 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | AUGUST 2013 Put an end to back pain Physical therapy often offers best path to relief A lmost all of us at some point have incurred a musculoskeletal injury that has slowed us down and kept us out of the game. If the statistics hold true, 80 percent of you reading this article will experience some sort of low back pain that will require medical intervention during your lifetime. The total cost of musculoskeletal injuries to America's health care system has been estimated at $14 billion per year, with low back pain accounting for a large percentage of that total. The cost is not only in medical expenses but also in time loss, decreased productivity, and co-morbidities associated with chronicity. Many of the changes in health care that cut costs involve "pathways" to care—meaning getting you to the right practitioner at the right time using the least intervention to solve your problem. For almost all musculoskeletal issues, including back pain, a physical therapist should be the first medical professional you see. In a now classic study done with Virginia Mason and Aetna, workers for Starbucks who complained of back pain were triaged to a physical therapist for their first medical appointment. Many times the physical therapist not only treated the patient quickly and with minimal intervention but also produced better results. During this study, the cost savings were approximately $11 million, much of that from the avoidance of unnecessary imaging. It can be powerfully argued that seeing a physical therapist first for musculoskeletal issues is one way to save our health care dollars.

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