Digital care can save patients from expensive and unnecessary surgery

Too many unnecessary and unsuccessful surgeries contribute to huge medical expenses.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain or joints, ligaments, and muscle pain is very common, with lower back pain alone affecting 39% of American adults. The incidence of spinal surgery has been rising for years. A report at the end of 2024 found that on average, 14% of spinal fusions were considered “overuse.” Between 2019 and 2021, more than 200,000 unnecessary spinal surgeries have estimated Medicare to $2 billion.

This is not to say that all surgeries are unnecessary – of course, surgery in MSK care is an important place, sometimes medically necessary. However, studies have shown that digital physical therapy (PT) can improve prognosis even if surgery is required. People who followed the pre- and post-operative digital PT program reported fewer post-operative complications than those receiving traditional care. Clinical guidelines recommend starting with conservative care such as PT, where most people with pain (77%) prefer non-surgical options that can prevent avoidable surgery. For these and other reasons, including increased access and convenience and reduced costs, digital care solutions have become an increasingly attractive product that can deliver impressive results.

Preventing avoidable surgery requires a medical system to provide higher quality upstream care.

Low Value Care – Due to opioid overuse, imaging and unnecessary surgery, the risk of little or no risk to the patient may exceed the benefit in the treatment of MSK conditions. and treatment programs that cannot address mental health, comorbidities, or fear of exercise, ignore the co-contributors of these shared pain sensitivity.

Early in a person’s painful journey, better care can take them down the path of recovery through exercise therapy, lifestyle changes, and avoiding unnecessary imaging and invasive procedures.

Why is digital care so effective in preventing unnecessary surgery?

It turns out that digital MSK solutions work for upstream care, because that's where they start intervening. When pain begins, get people to exercise therapy, education and relief of non-painful pain. While midstream and downstream care services are sometimes required, access to digital care ensures that people embrace conservative care first.

There are three main factors driving why digital care can reduce unnecessary medical procedures so effectively. That said, digital care can identify the most risky people, educate easily and provide strong support.

• confirm: An internal analysis of health claims data shows that about 6% of people drive 85% of MSK costs. Now, using AI in digital care is making it possible to identify those with the greatest risk to educate the treatment options.
• educate: Clinical guidelines recommend starting with conservative care such as physical therapy and pain science education, but many people don’t know about these options. When patients understand their condition and connect with orthopedic experts, most people choose less invasive, lower cost options.
• support: Interest in surgery may decline with the pain and function improvements in consistent exercise therapy supported by PT, health coaches and other orthopedic experts. Research has found that in virtual programs, compliance is often higher than traditional in-person care.

Once successfully completed, digital care can greatly reduce expensive procedures, including spinal fusion surgery, knee replacement and hip replacement.

Time to embrace digital care solutions