Rapid Responses to:

PRIMARY CARE: UK BEAM Trial Team United Kingdom back pain exercise and manipulation (UK BEAM) randomised trial: cost effectiveness of physical treatments for back pain in primary care BMJ 2004; 329: 1381 [Abstract] [Full text]

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Exercise in classes, or classes of exercises?

Regina B Stroebele   (21 November 2004)

Cost-effectiveness

Timothy R. Church   (10 December 2004)

Exercise in classes, or classes of exercises? 21 November 2004
Regina B Stroebele, still none D- 52064 Aachen Send response to journal: Re: Exercise in classes, or classes of exercises?	Sorry for the silly title. In Germany, we are supposed to be still able to afford, on PHS costs, up to 6 individual therapy units per 3 months, i.e. that a patient with a common back pain gets 6 x 45 minutes within 3 months of an individual gym (or even massage) session, eye to eye with a single physiotherapist. Competing interests: None declared
Cost-effectiveness 10 December 2004
Timothy R. Church, Associate Professor University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 Send response to journal: Re: Cost-effectiveness	It's not clear why the authors recommend manipulation alone, because it costs more per QALY than combined and even slightly more than exercise alone. The average effect of the combined therapy is larger in absolute terms than the other two, as well. Competing interests: None declared