Chasing Affordable Health

"When it comes to healthcare, nothing is cheap. This is why we need to be investing in a preventative healthcare approach."
- Dr. Matt Winn DC, MS

Did you know?

Musculoskeletal conditions are the #1 financial burden on our healthcare system, with an estimated $500 billion annually.
Spine-related pain has surpassed diabetes and heart disease as the #1 spending category.

This data does not account for the "invisible" costs such as lost wages, decreased productivity, and early retirement, which add hundreds of billions more to the total societal burden.

PSA: Medications are NOT the answer!

The illicit opioid epidemic cost the U.S. an estimated $2.7 trillion in 2023 alone.

A 2025 study found that patients receiving spinal manipulation were 80% less likely to be diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder over a two-year period compared to those treated with traditional medical management (like ibuprofen or prescriptions).

Conservative Care:

The more effective, more affordable, and safer option.

Initial Evaluation & Care

Rather than masking symptoms with medication, we need to address the root-cause of the biomechanical issue.

Pain is your body's alarm system. If your fire alarm was going off, would you just turn off the alarm or would you go look for the root-cause that triggered the alarm?

Diagnostic Tests & Diagnosis

Advanced imaging such as CT or MRI are very expensive pictures and often doesn't improve patient outcomes. In fact, early utilization of advanced imaging significantly increases surgery rates, prolonged recovery, increased costs, and patient anxiety by revealing common, often insignificant, findings (like disc bulges) that lead to unnecessary interventions.

Functional movement assessments, low-cost imaging studies like X-rays or diagnostic Ultrasound, and a comprehensive health history by a qualified conservative healthcare professional have been shown to mitigate the above mentioned disadvantages of traditional medical care by identifying the root-cause(s) and treating them accordingly.

Effective Interventions

Traditional western medical treatment relies on pharmaceutical drugs and surgery to treat conditions, which often require multiple specialty doctor visits.

Did you know that spine surgery can range from $15,000 - $150,000+? Don't forget to tack on an additional $30,000-$72,000 for all the advanced imaging, inpatient stay, and post-operative rehab you'll be needing too.

The conservative care approach, on the other hand, utilize physical medicine and lifestyle modification to address these often physical, lifestyle driven conditions, which is non-invasive and very safe.

Did you know a full course of conservative chiropractic care typically costs between $1,500-$5,000? That's less than the cost of a single day in the surgical recovery ward.

Optimal Patient Outcomes

Prescription medication and surgery can provide immediate relief for many, but these treatments come with a long list of side effects and risks, many of which require another medication or surgery to correct.

By treating the root-cause of a persons condition, they get better faster and stay better longer. This is how health care should be.

Fact or Fiction?

Patients who see a Chiropractor first for back pain save an average of 40% on health care costs compared to those who start with a medical doctor.

Patients who visit a Chiropractor have 64% lower odds of receiving an opioid prescription that those who do not.

Chiropractic care has been shown to reduce back surgeries by 32% and hospitalizations by 41%.

References

Sarnat, R. L., & Winterstein, J. (2007). "Clinical Utilization and Cost Outcomes from an Integrative Medicine Independent Physician Association." American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC)
- - * Key Finding: A 7-year study showed that chiropractic-led primary care resulted in 60% fewer hospital admissions and 59% fewer days in the hospital.
Corcoran, K. L., et al. (2020). "Association Between Chiropractic Use and Opioid Receipt Among Patients with Spinal Pain." The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM)
- - * Key Finding: A meta-analysis showing that patients who visited a chiropractor had 64% lower odds of receiving an opioid prescription.
Keeney, B. J., et al. (2013). "Predictors of Lumbar Spine Surgery after Occupational Back Injury." Health Services Research .
- - * Key Finding: This study found that patients who saw a chiropractor first for back injuries had a 1.5% chance of surgery, versus 42.7% for those who saw a surgeon first.
Liliedahl, R. L., et al. (2010). "Cost of Care for Common Back Pain Conditions Assisted With Chiropractic Care." Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).
- - * Key Finding: Analysis showed that chiropractic care for back pain resulted in a 40% reduction in healthcare costs compared to medical-initiated care.
Dieleman, J. L., et al. (2020). "U.S. Health Care Spending by Payer and Health Condition, 1996–2016." JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) .
- - * Key Finding: This landmark study confirmed that low back and neck pain had the highest amount of healthcare spending of the 154 conditions analyzed, surpassing even diabetes.
Hartvigsen, J., et al. (2018). "What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention." The Lancet.
- - * Key Finding: Part of a series on back pain highlighting it as the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Whedon, J. M., et al. (2018). "Association Between Utilization of Chiropractic Services for Treatment of Low-Back Pain and Use of Prescription Opioids." Pain Medicine.
Becker’s Spine Review (2024/2025 Updates on Surgical Pricing).
Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine (Cost-utility analysis of lumbar fusion).
Sidecar Health / Healthcare Bluebook (Regional cost variations for 2026).

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