A recent study of nearly 86,000 subjects found that the treatment for knee arthritis did not follow research-supported clinical practice guidelines. The study showed physicians heavily used steroid and hyaluronic acid (HA) injections — 46% and 18% of the time — despite little evidence to support these interventions. More sadly, physical therapy was used only 13% of the time, despite PT being an evidence-based and cost-effective treatment.
The total cost for care for the subjects’ knee OA was reflected by HA injections at 29.2%, which the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons classifies as “strongly – cannot recommend.” Meanwhile, PT only reflected a total cost of roughly 10%.
PT is a cost-effective treatment for knee pain. Call today for a consult!
