Back and neck pains are very common musculoskeletal issues and account for most healthcare costs. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, have now studied the effect of two non-invasive interventions on spinal pain and healthcare setting costs for the same. Participants (n=2971) with neck or back pain for three months or less were included in the study. The first intervention, the “Identify, Co-ordinate, and Enhance” (ICE) model , allowed patients to receive counseling, physical therapy , and a pain medicine or psychiatry specialist who co-ordinated with the patient’s primary care physician.
The second intervention, individualized postural therapy (IPT) , was applied to rearrange and rebalance spinal muscles to reduce pain. Both methods showed a small yet significant improvement in pain after three months. The ICE intervention reduced the cost of spine -related healthcare…
