Rehab

Back pain is a pain in the neck

Rehab Regs, January 23, 2004

Duke University researchers have found that patients suffering from back pain consume more than $90 billion annually in health care expenses, with approximately $26 billion of that amount directly attributable to treating back pain, according to Pain & Central Nervous System Week. Researchers say they hope their results will help policymakers determine how future health care resources should be allocated. The study--analyzing back pain cases in 1998--defined back pain as pain in any portion of the back, including back disorders, disc disorders or injuries to the back. Fifty-five percent of respondents were female, 88% were white and 61% were married. The average respondent age was 48.

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