• Brittney M Gunterstockman, Brad D Hendershot, Joseph Kakyomya, Charity G Patterson, Christopher L Dearth, and Shawn Farrokhi.
• Department of Physical Therapy, Lincoln Memorial University, Knoxville, TN 37932, USA.
• Mil Med. 2024 Oct 5.

IntroductionPhysical therapy (PT) is recommended as a primary treatment for low back pain (LBP), a common and impactful musculoskeletal condition after limb loss. The purpose of this brief report is to report the duration and cost of PT care, and subsequent escalation of care events, for LBP in service members with and without limb loss.Materials And MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort, descriptive study. Service members with and without limb loss (matched) who received PT for LBP at a military treatment facility from 2015 to 2017 were included. Duration of PT care, number of PT visits, and escalation of care events 1 year after PT were extracted from medical records. Escalation of care events was identified as epidural steroid injections, referrals to specialists (e.g., orthopedists, spine surgeons, and pain management), and LBP-related hospitalizations.LBP-related PT encounters were queried; duration of care, number of visits, and cost of care were quantified. Escalation of care events, including opioid prescription, epidural steroid injections, specialty referrals, and hospitalizations, were identified up to 1 year after PT care.ResultsThe average course of PT care for LBP was 12.9 more visits, 48.7 days longer, and $764.50 more expensive in service members with limb loss (n = 16) vs. those without limb loss (n = 48). Higher rates of opioid prescriptions and specialty referrals were observed in service members with limb loss.ConclusionsThis study suggests that service members with limb loss and LBP received higher quantities and longer durations of PT than those without limb loss, yielding a nearly 4 times higher cost of PT.Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2024. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

10 keywords...

hide…