Patients With Back Pain Often Get the Wrong Treatment

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a Journal of the American Medical Association Network publication shows that many patients are getting overly aggressive treatments for their back pain. This includes physicians increasingly giving patients with back pain narcotic drugs, ordering expensive imaging tests or referring them to other physicians rather than offering them the recommended conservative first line of treatment, which calls for the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, or acetaminophen and physical therapy, according to national guidelines from the American College of Physicians. "With health care costs soaring, improvements in the management of back pain represent an area of potential cost savings for the health care system while also improving the quality of care," the study says.

Patients with back pain often get the wrong treatment.

Join the Conversation on Linkedin | About PEO Compass

The PEO Compass was founded by Paul Hughes in 2012. The PEO Compass is a friendly convergence of professionals and friends in the PEO industry sharing insights, ideas and intelligence to make us all better. All writers specialize in Professional Employer Organization (PEO) business services such as Workers Compensation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Data Management, Employment Practices Liability (EPLI), Cyber Liability Insurance, Health Insurance, Occupational Accident Insurance, Business Insurance, Client Company, Casualty Insurance, Disability Insurance and more.

To contact a PEO expert, please visit Libertate Insurance Services, LLC and RiskMD.