Chronic Pain and RS-4i® Plus in the VA, by the Numbers
The Veterans Health Administration (VA) is America’s largest integrated healthcare system, serving nine million Veterans each year. Providers who practice in any of the 1,250+ facilities know that each is an extremely busy place.
And data reveals some of the reasons for this. Of the nearly 58 million patient appointments in 2016, pain was the most common medical condition requiring treatment. This sobering fact is not all that surprising given that more than 50 percent of Veterans receiving care at VA facilities are affected by chronic pain, and that severe pain is 40 percent greater in Veterans than non-Veterans.
For years, opioids were the simple answer – prescribed as the default go-to pain treatment by thousands of healthcare providers. By now, however, it is glaringly evident that drugs are not the best choice.
Veterans in particular are twice as likely as civilians to die from an opioid overdose and, further complicating matters, it is believed that over 63 percent of Veterans receiving chronic opioid treatment from VA for pain also have a mental health diagnosis. These diagnoses include PTSD, depression, traumatic brain injury and substance use disorder.
If not opioids, is PT the answer?
A closer look at the VA patient appointments from 2016 reveals that a staggering 33.6 million were musculoskeletal related. This insight can help direct practitioners toward the most effective treatment options for this type of pain, which experts say include physical therapy and self-managed care.
The VA recommends that chronic pain be approached with self-management used first line and tried before starting pharmacologic therapy. The American Physical Therapy Association writes that physical therapy has “been underutilized, and, therefore, can serve as a primary strategy to reducing prescription pain medication abuse and improving the lives of individuals with chronic pain.”
But the unfortunate reality is that physical therapy appointments at the VA are in short supply. That’s because the VA is only staffed to provide PT to nine percent of those 33.6 million musculoskeletal-related appointments, and access has been even more limited in recent months due to COVID.
So what readily available self-care options do VA providers have to get Veterans the pain relief they need?
The RS-4i Plus is relief, right at home
One prescription-strength treatment that has proven useful for chronic pain care is the RS-4i Plus. This self-managed electrotherapy device, which works less like a TENS unit and more like in-clinic systems, uniquely combines high-frequency Interferential therapy (INF) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) into a single session called Intersperse®. In this way, it can relieve pain, increase blood flow, and reduce muscle spasms safely and effectively within the same 35-minute session.
But here are the facts that matter most:
50% drop in pain for half of patients. On a pain scale of 0-10, this represents a reduction from 7.3 to 3.88. Patients also report a 35 percent drop in pain interfering with activity.
6+ hours of pain relief for 35% of patients. This corresponds with a 38 percent drop in pain interfering with sleep. Poor sleep can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
28% reduction in pain meds. Fewer, less often, or none at all anymore.
The RS-4i Plus, available to the VA on FSS contract, is an alternative to opioids that is safe, effective and – while scientifically advanced – still simple to use. This operational simplicity, combined with wearable garments designed to aid proper electrode placement for back treatments, leads to increased patient compliance and improved outcomes.
The device is also a convenient option that can eliminate extra trips to the VA – something that’s good for patients and healthcare providers alike during the pandemic.
See the data for yourself
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to chronic pain relief for Veterans, but having an option like the RS-4i Plus has proved to be life-changing for thousands – the same thousands of Veteran patients whose post-treatment assessments provide the basis for the facts above.
Interested in learning more? Complete the form below to download an infographic that summarizes the impact the RS-4i Plus has had for Veterans, and let us know if you’re ready to see how the RS-4i Plus can help patients in your practice.
Related Resources
Blog: Why a VA Pain Specialist Recommends the RS-4i Plus
Blog: Going Deeper: Pain Relief & the RS-4i Plus
This blog provides general information and discussion about medicine, health and related subjects. The words and other content provided in this blog, and in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. If the reader or any other person has a medical concern, he or she should consult with an appropriately-licensed physician or other healthcare professional.