This matched case-control study measured how much back pain costs the NHS in primary care, comparing 133,341 patients with back pain against a closely matched group without it, using a decade of UK medical records to calculate the cost difference.
What was studied?
The study compared healthcare consultations, prescriptions and other resource use between the two matched groups over ten years, breaking down costs by patient characteristics such as sex, age, deprivation and other health conditions.
What did they find?
The incremental cost attributable to back pain was 32.5 million pounds in 2015, around 244 pounds extra per patient per year, scaling to an estimated 3.2 billion pounds nationally. GP consultations accounted for 80 percent of these costs, with higher costs among women, older and deprived patients.
Why it matters
This gives a precise UK figure for how much back pain costs the NHS, several billion pounds a year, and reinforces why effective management matters for a stretched healthcare system, not just the patient.
Why we included it
It illustrates a wider economic argument for effective non-drug treatment: hands-on care that resolves pain directly can ease pressure on stretched primary care resources, not just improve individual comfort.
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What was studied?
The study compared healthcare consultations, prescriptions and other resource use between the two matched groups over ten years, breaking down costs by patient characteristics such as sex, age, deprivation and other health conditions.
What did they find?
The incremental cost attributable to back pain was 32.5 million pounds in 2015, around 244 pounds extra per patient per year, scaling to an estimated 3.2 billion pounds nationally. GP consultations accounted for 80 percent of these costs, with higher costs among women, older and deprived patients.
Why it matters
This gives a precise UK figure for how much back pain costs the NHS, several billion pounds a year, and reinforces why effective management matters for a stretched healthcare system, not just the patient.
Why we included it
It illustrates a wider economic argument for effective non-drug treatment: hands-on care that resolves pain directly can ease pressure on stretched primary care resources, not just improve individual comfort.