It cost Americans more than $30 billion in 2007– up from $16 billion in 1997 (in 2007 dollars), treating back problems, one of the most bothersome medical problems, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The federal agency study says that in 2007 about 27 million people, or nearly 12 percent of adults age 18 and older, reported having back problems. Of those, more than 19 million sought medical treatment.

In 2007, two-thirds of the total spent for treatment of back problems went to pay physicians, chiropractors and physical therapists for ambulatory care and for prescription drugs ($18 billion and $4.5 billion, respectively). This is up from $9.3 billion spent on office-based care and $1.2 billion on prescription drugs in 1997 (in 2007 dollars).

The remaining expenses in both 2007 and 1997 were for hospital care, emergency room visits, and home health services. The average expenditures for treatment of back problems were $1,589 per adult in 2007($1,146 for ambulatory care and $446 for prescription drugs). Out-of-pocket payments by patients accounted for roughly 17 percent of total spent in 2007 for treatment of back problems; private health insurance accounted for 45 percent; Medicare 23 percent ; and other sources, such as workers’ compensation, 15 percent.