Posted September 23, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Over any 3-month period about 25% of Americans will have low back pain. It is the top cause of disability around the world.
Unfortunately, even though low back pain is common, treatment for low back pain often fails to reflect evidence-based guidelines, leading to overtreatment—including unnecessary surgery or opioid prescription.
So what are the best approaches for back pain?
In March 2018, The Lancet noted that the guidelines are evolving: now there is "less emphasis on pharmacological and surgical treatments" and greater emphasis on "self-management, physical and psychological therapies, and some form of complementary medicine."
Posted September 16, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
The role of "patient-specific" exercises in managing LBP is controversial. Some people believe that any exercise is good for low back pain, while others believe that the direction and type of exercise prescribed can make a difference in recovery time and pain modification.
While general exercise is not bad at all for most conditions, there may be situations where being more specific may be a good thing.
So why should you care about specific exercise?
Posted July 29, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Think about the last time you made a big purchase, say $1,000 or more. Did you go out and buy the first thing you saw? Take one recommendation from somebody? Or did you research it, learn some things, compare it to other options, and select something that was right for you? Most people tend to be educated and research large purchases like cars, televisions, or the newest iphone. So why do we so often fail to do this with healthcare? By becoming more educated healthcare consumers we can go from passive patients who take the first recommendation that comes from a practitioner to an active consumer who weighs options and makes choices. Here are some questions to talk through with your practitioner the next time a healthcare decision comes up.
Posted July 22, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Most people spend a lot of time researching and weighing options for a large purchase or a decision like changing a job. When it comes to healthcare, however most people don't do much research or consider options at all. A 2010 Gallup poll showed that 70% of people feel confident in their doctor's advice and don't feel the need to do their own research or get a second opinion.
Posted June 19, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
VBC means a reorganization of systems around the needs of the patient, necessitating shifts in perspective and culture. Switching medical provision to teams and units that integrate the full cycle of care together is another key element. The integrated practice units (IPUs) are a group of wards that care for patients with similar clinical needs.
A switch to patient-focus drives benefits that patients can see. Sixty-seven percent of Leaders said patients were more satisfied with their care in the past year, versus 39% of Followers; 70% of Leaders said patients reported a better quality of life than a year ago, compared to 46% of Followers.
Posted June 14, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Recent research is showing that surgery might not be needed as often as we think. A large review estimates that 10% to 20% of surgeries might be unnecessary. The reasons for so many unneeded surgeries being performed are varied, but the most common are that more conservative options aren't tried first, or lack of knowledge by the patient and health care team.
For musculoskeletal problems like back and joint pain, sprains, and strains, seeing your PT before a surgeon can help keep you out of the operating room and get you back to life without surgery. Studies have shown that physical therapy can be just as good if not better than surgery for a multitude of conditions and carries less risk. Some examples would include rotator cuff tears, meniscal tears, spinal stenosis, low back pain, and osteoarthritis.
Physical therapy can't fix every problem, and for some patients surgery IS the best choice. However, research is showing that surgery isn't a cure-all, and is sometimes very risky. In most cases, starting with physical therapy is the right choice, and for many patients, PT is the only treatment necessary.
Posted March 24, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
"Neurological symptoms and abnormal findings on MR images are keys to diagnose the spinal diseases. To determine the significance of MRI abnormalities, we must take into account the (1) frequency and (2) spectrum of structural abnormalities, which may be asymptomatic. However, no large-scale study has documented abnormal findings of the cervical spine on MR image in asymptomatic subjects."
Posted March 21, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Degenerative changes are commonly found in spine imaging but often occur in pain-free individuals as well as those with back pain. We sought to estimate the prevalence, by age, of common degenerative spine conditions by performing a systematic review studying the prevalence of spine degeneration on imaging in asymptomatic individuals.
Posted March 19, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
Pain and swelling of hips, knees, ankles, and feet and other musculoskeletal complaints among runners were comparable with those among nonrunners.
Posted March 15, 2019 | Health & Wellness Blog
An estimated 27 million Americans have some form of OA. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 2 people in the United States (US) may develop knee OA by age 85, and 1 in 4 may develop hip OA in their lifetime. Until age 50, men and women are equally affected by OA; after age 50, women are affected more than men. Over their lifetimes, 21% of overweight and 31% of obese adults are diagnosed with arthritis.