“Just give me something to stop the pain.” or “Just do something
so I don’t hurt.” are just two comments Vancouver Spine Care Centre and
fellow back pain healthcare practitioners hear all
the time. When in pain, we all just want it to stop in the simplest and quickest way possible. This isn’t
always possible though. We all have to look at our pain and make
friends with it to some extent. We have to see it for what it is.
Temporary. Unwelcome. Disruptive. But manageable many times when engaged. Vancouver Spine Care Centre encourages
our Vancouver back pain patients and neck pain patients to take
part in their back pain relief process. It makes
a difference. It may perhaps even alter your life for
the better. Many Vancouver chiropractic patients have experienced this.
SELF-MANAGEMENT BENEFITS
Amazingly up to 25% of back pain patients in
a new study weren’t actively involved in their
spine care treatment plan. Research is ripe with reports
highlighting the importance of patient-engagement
with treatment of spine pain. What kept such patients involved?
In researcher-ease, environmental context and resources, emotion, memory/attention/decision-making,
and behavioural regulation did. Knowing that these things were the
interfering culprits that reduced
patients’ participation in their own care, researchers made a special
plan to address these issues and increase
the patients’ understanding and participation via text reminders, exercises,
lifestyle changes, webinars, videos, paper educational materials and more. (1) One
study discovered that a mix of approaches to drop
disability and work absenteeism was cost effective though no one certain
intervention stood out over others. (2) Like these researchers, Vancouver Spine Care Centre
tries to do whatever it takes to help our Vancouver
back pain and neck pain patients!
SPINE EXERCISES AND EMS
This may be a unique helpful intervention for certain
patients: whole-body electromyostimulation. It reduced
nonspecific chronic low back pain equally as well as back-strengthening
exercise protocols. When fear of movement and functional limitations due to back pain play a role, whole body
electrical stimulation helped fearful patients with their
strength and stabilization in good time, dropping
pain intensity and enhancing trunk flexors. (3) Vancouver Spine Care Centre
shares such options to help our patients.
SELF-MANAGEMENT APP
Have you heard “There is
an app for that!”? Vancouver Spine Care Centre is sure you have! Not
surprising45 in today’s app-crazy world that there is an app in the
works to help you keep track of self-management
tasks like exercise, sleep, etc. For the “selfBACK” app, researchers are currently
gathering data on the effectiveness of
various interventions at baseline, 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 9 months
for nonspecific low back pain. From this research data,
researchers plan to fill the app with tips and exercises that have
worked for others experiencing similar issues. Each
patient’s app will then be tailored for
self-management of back pain and other musculoskeletal issues based on
what others with similar conditions reported helpful and
relieving. (4) Vancouver Spine Care Centre looks forward to saying “There is an app for
that!" Vancouver Spine Care Centre knows that some of our Vancouver back pain
patients will love this!
CONTACT Vancouver Spine Care Centre
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Jack Stern on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he outlines how
back pain patients can best help themselves to optimal back pain
relief.
Schedule a Vancouver chiropractic visit
soon to start with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management at Vancouver Spine Care Centre. Be ready to be engaged with your
back pain treatment plan for back pain relief. You will be so happy that the pill or “something” wasn’t offered once you are feeling better in terms of
back pain relief and mental contentment that you were an active
part of the relief process.