Vancouver Disc Centers Offers Realistic Back Pain Relief Expectations

Let’s be honest. You want 100% relief of your Vancouver back pain and have it never return. Heck, you did not want it to happen in the first place! Well, Vancouver Disc Centers wants that for you, too. But reality intervenes. The research gets published. Realistic expectations are documented. Standard treatment outcomes guide you and Vancouver Disc Centers as we move together toward healing and improved quality of life with back pain.

MEDICAL CLINICAL EXPECTATION

Medicine today reports 30% minimal clinical improvement as good enough to warrant the use of a treatment approach. (1) The “minimal clinically important difference” is an indicator of the helpfulness of treatment. In a large review of studies, the relative percent was found to be 32%. (2) “Good” outcome of medical primary care for sciatica and leg pain was only 30% reduction in disability. 55% of patients were improved at one year. (1) Another set of researchers stated that a 20 point move on a 100 point scale is a good outcome.  A modification of 19% on an Oswestry pain scale and 2 points on a 10 points visual analogue scale is seen as successful reduction in pain for a patient with continued postoperative spine pain. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers knows Vancouver back pain patients desire more relief than that. Setting up realistic expectations from the beginning boosts the odds of a satisfactory outcome for our Vancouver chiropractic patients.

CHIROPRACTIC ROLE IN BACK PAIN RELIEF

Chiropractic is often classified as alternative medicine. Chiropractic seeks to address the source of spine-related pain with spine treatment, exercise, nutrition, etc., whereas allopathic medicine focuses on the removal of the offending agent of pain by drug or invasive means. (4) One study comparing the two approaches showed that at 2 months of care, older adults with lumbar spine stenosis treated with manual therapy and exercise improved better than medical care and group exercise. (5) Another paper about older adults with back pain reported 50% improvement in back pain and 43% in disability after 2 years of care. The honest truth: fewer than 20% of these patients had complete resolution of pain and disability, but they were better. (6) Vancouver Disc Centers helps many Vancouver back pain and stenosis patients honestly set realistic expectations for clinical improvement of their back pain conditions utilizing the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

CLINICAL OUTCOMES WITH COX® TECHNIC

Cox® Technic has always sought at least 50% relief within 30 days before trying another treatment protocol or ordering more advanced imaging tests or referral for surgical consultation (always making sure that there is no evidence of progressive neurological deficit or caudal equina syndrome/change in bowel or urinary function which would necessitate a more immediate action). (7) For years, 50% didn’t seem like enough. Today, it’s amazing relief compared with the new medical and surgical expectation of 20% to 30% relief. One more recent study reports even more relief with Cox® Technic: Spinal stenosis patients improved in pain by 76% and disability by 73%. (8) How might such improvement come? Horizontal traction was reported to be much more effective in increasing disc height of lower lumbar discs. (9) Cox® Technic distraction manipulation was found to increase the area by 28%. (10) Vancouver Disc Centers knows many Vancouver back pain patients whose 20% relief of pain thrilled them as it allowed them to walk in the park or go to the grocery store or play with the grandkids.

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Wanda Lopez on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson whose patient was elated that she could take a walk in Central Park without pain.

CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers

Schedule your next chiropractic appointment at Vancouver Disc Centers today. We will be honest. We’ll discuss treatment outcome expectations with you. Vancouver Disc Centers is on your side and committed to helping you realize the Vancouver back pain relief you want.