CF 381: SMT And Reoperation Rates & The Most Expensive Condition Today we’re going to talk about SMT And Reoperation Rates & The Most Expensive Condition But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

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OK, we are back and you have found the Chiropractic Forward Podcast where we are giving evidence-based chiropractic a little personality and making it profitable. We’re not the stuffy, judgemental, elitist, puffing on a pipe, pretentious kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers. So grab you a 6-er. I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast. I’m so glad you’re lending me your ear, spending your time with me and we’re learning this stuff together. Chiropractors – I’m hiring at my personal clinic. I need talent, ambition, smarts, personality, and easy to get along with associates. If this is you and Amarillo, TX is your speed, send me an email at creekstonecare@gmail.com Things you should do.

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You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #381 Now if you missed last week’s episode, we talked about Low Back Chronic Pain & Osteoporosis Medications and the Decrease in Societal Fracture Risk Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class.

On the personal end of things….. Nothing too crazy. Still enjoying the Fall bounce where business acts like it should act and I’m better behaved with regard to traveling all over the world. It’s weird; when you stay put, business just does better. You remember I mentioned that I am on the medical side carousel?

We have a NP interview this afternoon so we’ll see how that goes. I went to teh cardiologist the other day. I’m 53 and never been so I thought, maybe I’m missing out on all of the fun so let’s see what it’s all about. Well, it Ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. The first visit was fine.

The dude saiid I don’t see anything particularly concerning here but let’s do an echocardiogram and just dive in and see what’s there. So I got that done and what do you know? I got a call from his NP saying that overall I look good BUT….the bottom of my heart contracts too much and doesn’t relax like it should. What the hell does that mean anyway??

So she recommends putting me on the lowest dose diruetics to keep the upper portion of the heart from eventually enlarging. Well, I’m in no mood to go on life long meds but diving into these meds, they’re pretty much like taking an antiacid every day so, maybe not so bad. I’m still checking it out but will probably take them. At least until I can finally get some damn weight off. 6’4” and 275 lbs is big and I’d much rather be around 230-240 lbs. Or less.

But my body doesn’t want to be that. No matter what I do or try. It’s crazy. The weight loss meds that work so well for everyone….yeah, I’m a non-responder. Because that’s my life. I look like I eat like a horse but I don’t. I eat fairly lightly overall day to day. It’s like my body has set it’s weight point at 275-280 and it doesn’t matter what the hell I do. It doesn’t want to budge from that spot. So, it’s a constant battle. One that I know I’m not alone in.

Many of us struggle with it. Just trying to figure it out. Butt the good news is, the cardio suggested I reduce stress and try to relax more. Which means I’m getting a massage this afternoon. Yay! Which also means I gotta get going on this episode so let’s hop into the research.

Item #1

The first one is an article from Forbes called, “The Most Expensive Medical Condition Is Not What You Think” by Peter Ubel, a physician and behavioral scientist at Duke University.

It was updated in July of 2025 so it’s sizzlin like a stack of fajitas! Remember, the citations can be found at chiropracticforward.com under this episode.

The article from Forbes reveals that the most expensive medical condition in the United States is not heart disease or diabetes, as commonly assumed, but rather low back and neck pain. While heart disease and diabetes are both serious and costly—ranked fourth and third respectively, with expenditures of $90 billion and $111 billion annually—back and neck pain surpasses them with costs exceeding $130 billion each year.

This substantial burden is linked to the sheer number of people affected and the chronic nature of these conditions. The article highlights that individuals suffering from low back and neck pain commonly undergo expensive diagnostic procedures like X-rays and MRIs (often unnecessarily), use pain medications, participate in physical therapy, seek chiropractic care, and may ultimately face surgery—with almost half of these operations deemed unnecessary. The impact extends beyond the healthcare system, affecting productivity due to missed work and causing considerable suffering among adults during their most productive years.

Additionally, the piece points out a major discrepancy in government research investment: In 2021, the National Cancer Institute received over $7 billion, while the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (which includes spinal research) received just $685 million—barely a tenth by comparison. T...