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Sitka Chiropractic and Back Pain Relief Expectations via Surgical or Conservative Care

What do you expect from your Sitka chiropractic care of back pain? That is a key question. Research reports that it has a role in back pain treatment outcome whether that treatment is surgical or conservative. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka aims to hear your expectations of our Sitka back pain treatment and share what our treatment’s outcomes have been in practice and in research.

INFLUENTIAL EXPECTATIONS FOR BACK SURGERY OUTCOMES

A recent research project scrutinized patient and surgeon expectations of back surgery. Patients expected complete relief and improvement of their back pain after lumbar spine surgery. Surgeons expected improvement that ranged from a little to a lot dependant on the patient and his/her specific issues. Whose expectations were met? The surgeons’ expectations. A couple years after the back surgery, the patient-reported outcomes met the surgeon’s expectations. The researchers stressed that effective communication about expectations may well advance better outcomes. (1) That’s why Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka spends time with each Sitka back pain patient early on in care, making sure the source of pain and its treatment plan are well-explained. If not, ask us!

AN ACCEPTABLE SYMPTOM STATE

If a patient doesn’t experience the relief he/she wanted from back surgery, what is an “acceptable symptom state” for that back pain patient? What can he/she live with? For patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (with or without active discopathy), 54% stated having an acceptable symptom state at 1 month of care. Specifically, patient-reported acceptable symptoms involved these: 47.5 for lumbar pain, 30.5 for radicular pain, 39.3 for disability, 10.0 for anxiety, and 6.7 for depression. (2) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka knows no pain is the preferred state and is prepared to talk with our Sitka chiropractic patients their options and potential outcomes.

DECIDING ON TREATMENT OPTIONS

The question of back surgery is a big issue. Evidence-based medicine views the patient as being the center of care. What is the patient perspective of this care? How is the patient perspective regarded in treatment planning and decision making among available options? A recent paper indicated that the patient’s social, psychological, and other non-clinical characteristics must be taken into account in planning care. (3) One factor in the back-surgery decision that reportedly impacts the decision and the outcome expectation is opioid use. Lower dose and shorter-time-taking opioid use patients expected more complete improvement opposed to non-users. They also had higher expectations of positive outcome than higher-dose opioid patients. (4) For many patients, the prospect of work is goal of back pain treatment which is positive according to this new report on how back pain patient recovery expectations impact clinical outcomes. A review of 60 studies reported that a patient’s recovery expectations are probably strongly associated with future work participation. (5) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka employs effective, nonsurgical treatment of back pain to meet patient expectations once the research on outcomes for other back pain sufferers is presented and absorbed. Sitka chiropractic care keeps the back pain patient at its center.

CONTACT Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka

Check out this PODCAST with Dr. Anthony Galante on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explained how Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management and chiropractic treatment helped manage back pain for a patient who was adamant about not wanting back surgery.

Schedule your next Sitka chiropractic visit today. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka wants to know your answer to the question of your expectations for our treatment so that we can both be satisfied with the outcome!

 
Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka strives to meet realistic patient expectations when it comes to conservative back pain relief. 
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."