title: Low back pain: an economic assessment in the United States.
abstract: Although it is clear that LBP imposes a grave economic cost on society, the lack of consensus on causes and appropriate treatments makes it difficult to develop explicit guidelines and best practices. To gain a greater understanding of the economic impact of the condition and to reduce the unnecessary procedures that patients undergo, a series of cost-effectiveness analyses on established treatment options and on proposed integrated programs of prevention, treatment, and counseling, would be not only informative but integral to the progress of LBP disease management.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Surgical Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021, USA. pais@hss.edu
authors.forename: Seema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: Lakshmi J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Sundaram
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019468:Disease Management; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D014481:United States