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Are You In Pain? How to reduce the
cost of your healthcare!
Being the midst of an election campaign, it is hard to escape the constant bombardment of opinions, slogans and policies. But there is one concern that continually bubbles to the surface above all other concerns and that is the cost of living and especially the cost of healthcare.
And the statistics bear this out. ABS data shows that the total cost of chronic pain in Australia is estimated at $34.3 billion, or nearly $11,000 per person with chronic pain1. Sixty Six (66%) of Australians are now
overweight or obese with over 87% of these people being in chronic pain2. With 1 in 3, or 6.9 million people suffering from arthritis, back pain and osteoporosis, musculoskeletal conditions are the fourth highest contributor to chronic disease burden in Australia.3. What’s more, due to increasing obesity, the cost is projected to double from about $2 billion in 2022 to $5.32 billion over the next 7 years.4 With private health rebates barely increasing over the past 20 years and health fund premiums rising at more than 5% annually, the cost of healthcare both to you and the nation continues to skyrocket.
The question arises, how can you reduce the cost of your healthcare? The obvious answer is don’t get sick or injured and if you do, ensure that you achieve the best, fastest, most complete recovery possible.
‘Impossible’,
I hear you say and you are correct. Although it is impossible to guarantee being able to avoid all injuries and illnesses, it is not as difficult as you might think to prevent, overcome and protect yourself from suffering from physical health conditions. While you might think that most physical health conditions and injuries occur randomly, the research indicates that only one percent (1%) of physical health conditions occur because of serious pathology such as cancer or organ disease.5 This means that 99% of physical injuries occur because of excessive or
abnorma l physical forces being placed on body structures and
tissues, much of the time due to the way you move and hold yourself.
No
doubt you are familiar with the classic muscle strain or joint sprain. Images
of people running and tearing a hamstring or twisting on a bent knee and
sustaining an ACL tear are commonly displayed across our TV’s every week.
They frequently involve demanding positions, movements or activities where
there is intense stress of short duration and performed relatively few times.
These injuries are especially prevalent in any sport which involves fast,
explosive, twisting movements such as AFL football, soccer and rugby. However,
these injuries are not the norm. At least 66% physical health problems
occur with everyday postures, movements and activities6.
Why do
Tissues Breakdown?
You
might wonder why everyday behaviours would cause tissues to break down when
they often involve minimal, if any, stress. The answer is because they are
often performed many times, for long durations, with inadequate recovery
periods.
Let’s
take a look at one of the most common activities that we do, walking. We are all encouraged to take at least
10,000 steps a day. If each of those steps is slightly incorrect, it will
create slightly excessive or abnormal stress on all of the tissues involved
in stepping. Taking 10,000 slightly incorrect steps every day, 7 days a week
for 52 weeks a year, year in, year out. It will be only a matter of time
before you develop a problem in the tissue or structure that is the weakest
link in the chain of tissues involved in stepping.
What
does an incorrect step look like and what are the common injuries associated
with them?
Here
are just a 3 of common faults:
1. Walking
with your feet turned out beyond 10 degrees increases your risk of developing
bunions.
2. Flattening
the inside of your foot as you place weight on your feet increases your risk of
pain from plantar fasciitis (in the sole of your foot).
3. Allowing
your knee to roll inward beyond the midline increases your risk of pain under
your kneecap, on the outside of your knee (fasciitis), inside of your knee
(cartilage), not to mention hip pain and back pain.
It is
the same for all body movements.
4. Looking
down at your phone excessively will cause neck strain.
5. Lifting
your elbow excessively when you move your arm will cause shoulder
tendinopathy.
6. Gripping
an object too hard especially with your palm down will lead to tennis elbow.
7. Being
5% overweight will increase your risk of hip and knee arthritis and the
possibility of you needing a joint replacement.
Yes,
health care costs are expensive. What makes them even more expensive is
having to pay them when you could easily have avoided having to pay them in
the first place. Taking action to prevent ailments from occurring, overcoming
them completely when they do, and protecting yourself against the recurrence
of physical health problems, is the best way to reduce, if not eliminate your
healthcare expenses.
What Can I Do?
Therefore, if you want to avoid or reduce healthcare expenses, think about the actions
you can take to prevent them. Or, if you are suffering from a physical health
condition, think about how you can promote recovery and protect yourself
against flare-ups. Most of the time, the best solutions can be found in
making tiny changes to your behaviour.
For example,
· Avoiding bunions may be as simple as slightly
straightening your feet.
· Avoiding neck pain may be as simple as lifting your
phone up to eye height, and;
· Avoiding knee, hip and back pain may be as simple
as not allowing your knee to roll excessively inward as you walk.
If you
are worried about developing a physical health problem and want to learn how
you can prevent it or you have a physical health problem that is not getting
better with your current treatment. If you a want a programme that will
help you permanently improve your condition, please contact Michael
Hall at The Melbourne Spinal and Sports Medicine Clinic for a physical injury
assessment.
In
this session, you will learn:
·
The cause of your problem
·
Why you are not getting better
·
What you need to do to get better, permanently
·
A plan that will step you through the recovery
process so that you can monitor your recovery, stay on track and celebrate achievements
·
How to protect yourself against flare-ups, optimise
function and build your capacity so that you feel better, stronger and more
agile.
To take advantage of your free, no obligation injury assessment and begin your road
to recovery, please call the team at Melbourne Spinal and Sports Medicine on (03)
9866 8010. Michael would be delighted to assist you and ensure that you
receive the best possible care, treatment and recovery. You have nothing to
lose, except your pain.
Wishing you the best of health,
MICHAEL HALL
Senior Consultant Physiotherapist
For more information or an appointment, please call The Melbourne Sports and Spinal Medicine on
(03) 9866 8010
E:info@mssm.com.au
Web: www.mssm.com.au
Please note:
·
Rebates
are available through your private insurance extras cover
·
For
complex or chronic conditions, you may qualify for the CDM (Chronic Disease
Management) program, entitling you to Medicare rebates on 5 allied health
services each calendar year with a referral from your GP.
References
1. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4841.0Chapter12011
2.
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/overweight-and-obesity
3.
https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/australias-health-2018-in-brief/contents/how-healthy-are-we
4.
https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/counter/pdf/10.1186/s12891-019-2411-9.pdf
5.
Henschke N, Maher CG, Refshauge K et al.
Prevalence of and screening for serious spinal pathology in patients
presenting to primary care settings with acute low back pain. Arthritis
Rheum. 2009 Oct;60(10):3072-80. Doi: 10.1002/art.24853
6.
Jette, AM Davis KD. A Comparison of
hospital-based and private therapy practices. Phys Ther 74: 336, 1991.
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