Data. Data. Data. We human-beings
are well studied: our illnesses,
our behaviors, our lives. In healthcare, data and stats can be beneficial to improve care, particularly path for low back pain management from conservative, non-surgical to surgical when
necessary. In La Grande Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is experienced
in managing this flow of back pain care and in referring when/if necessary.
LOW BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT DATA
The global top cause of
disability is low back pain. Diagnosis of the cause of low
back pain – spinal stenosis, radiculopathy, non-specific and specific low back
pain – is central to managing it. A new study stated
that low back examination tests alone are not always helpful
on their own. (1) That’s why Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC associates
everything - your history, current pain, exam tests’ results, imaging, and more
- to come up with a diagnosis as well as a treatment plan.
And not all back pain sufferers must visit specialists
like spine surgeons. Even the surgeons value it
when patients who require their skill (surgical
skills) are referred to them. One recent study highlighted that of 500 cases referred to a neurosurgeon, only 22% were
surgical candidates. 80% of referrals done during the study’s timeframe were thought to be inappropriate.
The researchers concluded that “triaging approaches led by
musculoskeletal experts may improve referral appropriateness to specialized
care.” (2) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC agrees and is ready to fill
that role. Your La Grande chiropractor is dedicated to diagnosing
and managing low back pain
and knows when to refer for specialized treatment like advanced
imaging, surgery, etc.
STATS ON CHIROPRACTIC BACK PAIN PATIENT CARE
In the chiropractic realm of healthcare,
Care Response is a packed database of info from
chiropractic patients around the world. It has been gathering
data for over 10 years regarding patient satisfaction. Two main
points of feedback were on what chiropractic patients thought was
good about their care and what could be improved. The good included
clinical outcomes (reduced pain, better
function, being understood as having pain and its cause), examination and explanation
of the condition and its treatment, professionalism, friendliness, feeling
valued as a person, safety, comfort, and punctuality. There is always room for
improvement, and patients commented that they wanted to
not be rushed during the visit, wanted to feel understood, wanted good
outcomes, etc. (3) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC strives to focus
on you during your time at our La Grande chiropractic office.
CHIROPRACTIC IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE
As your La Grande chiropractor, Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC strives
to deliver the ‘good’! And we take it one step further to increase
quality of life for our low back pain patients. The latest
series of questions to help evaluate patients for
these outcomes is known as PROMIS that encompasses
function, pain interference, pain intensity, fatigue, sleep, depression,
anxiety, satisfaction in social life, mental health, etc. The final word from all the collected data found that patients (1)
improved significantly and felt they did, (2) improved significantly but didn’t think they did, (3) didn’t improve significantly
but felt they did, (4) did not improve significantly or report
feeling better. (4) We strive for the ideal #1 outcome explained
above, and we want to know how you feel you are.
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Coleman Cormier on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes the relief of low back pain in a patient with a disc
herniation using The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management.
Schedule your La Grande chiropractic
appointment today. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC studies the stats
to best deliver quality of life-improving care for our La Grande low
back pain patients.