Table 1.
Descriptive Characteristics and Health Care Utilization Among 2 498 013 Patients With Newly Diagnosed Low Back or Lower Extremity Pain, 2008 to 2015
Characteristic No Surgery (n = 2 467 389) Surgery (n = 30 624) P Value Age group, No. (%), y 18-29 354 322 (14.4) 1920 (6.3) NA 30-39 444 613 (18.0) 4800 (15.7) 40-49 566 910 (23.0) 7597 (24.8) 50-59 586 459 (23.8) 8530 (27.9) 60-69 312 076 (12.7) 5198 (17.0) 70-79 122 976 (5.0) 2092 (6.8) ≥80 80 033 (3.2) 487 (1.6) Age, median (interquartile range) y 47 (36-58) 51 (41-60) <.001 Female, No. (%) 1 360 360 (55.1) 12 716 (41.5) <.001 No. of Elixhauser comorbidities, No. (%) 0 1 317 451 (53.4) 15 688 (51.2) <.001 1 620 272 (25.1) 7949 (26.0) ≥2 529 666 (21.6) 6987 (22.8) Common Elixhauser comorbidities, No. (%) Hypertension, uncomplicated 580 363 (23.5) 8557 (27.9) NA Diabetes, uncomplicated 227 808 (9.2) 3450 (11.3) Depression 192 190 (7.8) 2270 (7.4) Health professional visits at any point in time after diagnosis, No. (%) Primary care practitioner 1 719 243 (69.7) 28 474 (93.0) <.001 Chiropractor 308 941 (12.5) 2849 (9.3) <.001 Physical therapist 170 764 (6.9) 7955 (26.0) <.001 Imaging at any point in time post diagnosis, No. (%) Lumbar computed tomography 24 604 (1.0) 3751 (12.3) <.001 Lumbar magnetic resonance imaging 295 632 (12.0) 26 304 (85.9) <.001 Lumbar radiograph 740 845 (30.0) 22 327 (72.9) <.001 Procedures at any point in time post diagnosis, No. (%) Epidural steroid injection 86 994 (3.5) 12 274 (40.1) <.001 Physical therapy 335 792 (13.6) 12 646 (41.3) <.001 Chiropractic manipulative treatment 301 862 (12.2) 2660 (8.7) <.001 Types of surgery received, No. (%) Anterior NA 1924 (6.3) NA Instrumentation NA 8220 (26.8) Multilevel NA 8244 (26.9) Posterior NA 29 421 (96.1) 6-mo cost, $ Unadjusted per patient, mean (SD) 655 (1716) 17 640 (24 562) <.001 Regression-adjusted, unmatched, mean (SD) 656 (2.0) 17 624 (18.4) <.001 Regression-adjusted, matched, mean (SD) 676 (2.1) 17 640 (18.6) <.001 Collective sum of group (% of total cost) 1 616 604 470 (75.0) 540 098 155 (25.0) NA 12-mo cost, $ Unadjusted per patient, mean (SD) 769 (2093) 25 613 (29 917) <.001 Regression-adjusted, unmatched, mean (SD) 769 (2.5) 25 596 (22.4) <.001 Regression-adjusted, matched, mean (SD) 795 (2.5) 25 613 (22.6) <.001 Collective sum of group (% of total cost) 1 896 529 067 (70.8) 784 103 292 (29.3) NA Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.