The Real Cost of Back Surgery

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Unveiling the real cost of back surgery meet Lucy a hard-working American struggling with chronic back pain she's considering back surgery is a potential solution but does she know the real cost behind this medical procedure Lucy back surgery can be a viable option for certain conditions but it's essential to understand its true cost let's dive into it first there are pre-surgery expenses such as consultations diagnostic tests and imaging scans while insurance will help those co-pays still end up costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars but before surgical reimbursement can be approved some insurers will require you to try other interventions such as physical therapy or an epidural steroid injection for temporary relief an ESI is where the doctor will inject steroids directly into the epidural space of your spine like any medical procedure ESI involves risks once you do get your surgery coverage approved health insurance plans often have specific rules and limits depending on your policies details you will also have significant co-pays deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses for things like braces or rehab and medication a 2018 study published in the Lancet medical journal States patients should avoid harmful and useless treatments and doctors need to address widespread misconceptions about their effectiveness for example there is limited evidence to support the use of opioids for low back pain an epidural steroid injections and acetaminophen are not recommended at all once scheduled the surgery itself comes with significant costs there's the surgeon's feet anesthesiologist's fee and charges for the operating room and medical supplies these expenses can quickly add up by the time a patient pays deductibles and co-pays reach their max out of pocket the typical back surgery co-pay costs seven thousand to ten thousand dollars and these expenses still do not cover the cost of medications post-surgical follow-up and physical therapy or rehab with these additional expenses the total out-of-pocket expenses can easily approach 12 to 18 thousand dollars and of course there are serious risks to surgery infection nerve damage or permanent disability are all real risks as is the risk of failed back surgery some studies show the failure rate of spinal surgery to be as high as 50 percent microdiscectomy has an overall success rate of about 74 percent and while not a topic anyone wants to dwell on mortality rates increase when Hardware is used in conjunction with surgery under anesthesia remember that most patients will require two to six weeks of recovery time so the loss of income for recovery time can be a significant expense too I never realized the real cost involved in having back surgery it's a lot to take in I also did not realize how serious this surgery is and how often it fails to actually reduce the pain no procedure has a hundred percent success rate so it's essential to weigh the potential benefits against the financial burden always consult your Healthcare team and explore alternative non-surgical treatments when available idd therapy Advanced spinal decompression has proven 92 percent successful in resolving spinal pain for people who are scheduled to have surgery but tried idd therapy instead no drugs no needles no invasive procedures it's safe and cost efficient Lucy has gained valuable insight into the real cost of back surgery armed with knowledge she can now make an informed decision about her health care understanding the true cost of any medical procedure is crucial get informed and be proactive in managing your health care and your health care expenses to find out if you're a candidate for advanced non-surgical spinal decompression with idd therapy contact us at www.iddtherapy.com [Music]