Guide to Hip Pain Relief: Part 4

The Importance of Value and Choice in Hip Pain Relief and Treatment

Value is defined as considering (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; having a high opinion of. Physical therapy should be considered of high value to you if you want relief from hip pain. If it’s not, let me explain why it should be.

Musculoskeletal disorders (that cause hip pain) are the highest health cost category in the country at 75 percent more than heart disease and 75 percent more than cancer, affecting more people than both combined. Musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of disability and impairment globally. Fifty-four percent of adults report recurrent or chronic musculoskeletal disorders, and the cost of musculoskeletal disorders to the patient doubles over the age of forty-five.

Most primary care providers have little or no training in musculoskeletal (hip pain) management beyond prescribing medications to treat symptoms, ordering expensive and too often unnecessary tests, and referring to orthopedic surgeons when only 10 percent of the exams are surgical. The problem is compounding by a projected shortage of 20,000-30,000 primary care physicians by 2025. Ineffective treatment is the standard of care nationally for musculoskeletal disorders, and related opioid addiction is an emergent crisis.

The US center for Disease Control reports that six preventable health conditions account for 86 percent of all US healthcare spending. They are musculoskeletal disorders, cardio-vascular disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and obesity. Prescriptive movement is proven to benefit each of these six conditions.

Studies indicate that, by seeing a physical therapist to initiate care for any musculoskeletal disorder, you will save on average 50 percent of the money that you would normally spend on expensive images, medications, injections, and surgeries.

The bottom line is that seeing a physical therapist when it hurts to move will get you in the hands of an expert who can offer you a natural solution to your pain and save you a ton of money at the same time, which is the definition of high value.

Choice is also a very important element to consider when considering your hip pain treatment. In normal business relationships, such as car mechanics, hair stylists, etc., normal buying behavior includes combining several key pieces of information in order to make an informed decision. These pieces of information usually include recommendations or reviews from your friends and family and the general public. Other important pieces of information that matter to us are the cost, location, authority, expertise, credibility, and reputation of the company we are choosing to do business with. In healthcare, the choice for the healthcare consumer is being eroded by large health systems that are monopolizing communities by purchasing, owning, and controlling once privately owned medical facilities and then forcing referrals from physicians who stay in house in order to increase the revenue of the health system. These scenarios put you as the consumer at risk because they present situations where you feel like you don’t have a choice.

The bottom line is that you do legally have a choice of where you go for treatment. No matter how the scenario is presented to you, you always have a choice. I encourage you to make the best choice possible because your health is on the line.

The hip pain experts at Superior Physical Therapy have an intimate understanding of how the entire body is connected and know that you must look above and below the painful hip in order to find a solution. Call one today at 231.944.6541.