New Study: Innovative Intervention for Chronic Knee and Back Pain Helps Major Health Provider Reduce Musculoskeletal Spend by 81%

A real-world study published in the Journal of Health Economics and Outcomes Research has reported a substantial reduction in musculoskeletal spend for a major health provider using Apos®. The study followed more than 4,000 insured patients for roughly 20 months, comparing 616 people treated with Apos® with 3,576 matched controls.

The Apos®-treated group was associated with an 81% reduction in musculoskeletal spend and roughly $9 million in total savings. The findings also showed lower use of several common interventions. Knee surgery was recorded at 0% in the Apos® group compared with 0.7% among controls. Back surgery was 1.8% compared with 12.5%, while injections were 18.8% compared with 81.7%.

The study is notable because it looks at care as it happens in the real world, where people may move between appointments, prescriptions, injections and surgery discussions. Apos® was associated with a different pattern of care across that journey, with fewer interventions recorded and a substantial reduction in the overall cost of musculoskeletal treatment.

Alongside the healthcare-use data, patients reported up to approximately 57% pain reduction. Average satisfaction was around 8.3 out of 10, adding an important patient perspective to the economic findings.

The study adds real-world evidence to the picture of how a non-invasive, drug-free intervention can fit into care for chronic knee and back pain. For health providers, the results point to the potential for better-supported patients and lower costs. For people living with pain, they show why options that help people move more comfortably can have an effect beyond a single appointment or treatment session.