WORDS DESCRIBING PAIN ARE IMPORTANT TO
YOUR CHIROPRACTOR
“Why do you ask me so many
questions, doc?”
Our Pflugerville chiropractic patients are central
to our practice. Pflugerville Wellness Center wants
to understand each of our patients and your pain experience well,
treat you well, and ensure that you are satisfied with your care
and outcome. That is why we have you to explain
your pain to us, sometimes several times and in a variety of
different ways! Words mean different things to different people: “discomfort”
to one may mean “pain” to another while “stiffness” means
“pain” or “discomfort” to a another. It is true! Researchers did a deep-dive into these different words
and their meanings to patients. An example of this is the description of “feeling”: pain was
sharp/shooting, discomfort was dull/tingling, stiffness was
tight/restricted. (1) It's beneficial for Pflugerville Wellness Center
to know our patient’s experience with pain to better meet
expectations and enhance satisfaction with care. Patients who visited an integrated hospital for care of their musculoskeletal pain
and depressive symptoms rated their pain as 5/10 (10 being
greatest pain) and indicated multiple pain
locations (9 of 17 participants), low back pain (13 of 17), and neck pain (8 of
17). Those are quite typical of rationales
patients pursue chiropractic care! In this setting, patients were satisfied with the
collaboration among the various healthcare team members due to
the trust they had in their physician. Patients valued
consistency in care from a single caregiving chiropractor. (2)
Pflugerville Wellness Center knows our patients value - and can expect - these
same things from us: consistency, care, collaboration, and results!
Pflugerville CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE
MONTH: Strengthen
Multifidus Muscles While Standing
Back pain. It is a simple description that may
stem from many factors including the muscles of the spine,
those seen and unseen. The multifidus muscles are such unseen muscles, smaller, deep muscles that run alongside the
spine from the neck to the sacrum. These muscles assist
movements like lateral (side) flexion and rotation of the spine when contracted.
(3) Lately, researchers suggested that the multifidi
may be a possible source of back pain since they are found to be stiffer in low back pain sufferers. Low back pain is linked to lumbodorsal musculature (which includes the
multifidus muscle) fatigue. Standing back extension exercise fatigued the multifidus
sufficiently which may avert low back pain produced
by muscle fatigue. (4) “Superman” (on-the-floor) exercises are well known. Standing
back extension and “superman” exercises are newly documented to be equally helpful in
strengthening these multifidus muscles. (5) That is great
news! Pflugerville back pain sufferers can do easy, standing
exercises like this anywhere! The multifidi benefit!
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Paula Hugulet on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as she describes
the value of increasing muscle strength and
function as part of back pain care following the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness Center
Make your next Pflugerville
chiropractic appointment today. Your words will be heard. Your multifidus muscles
will be strengthened via proper exercise to lessen and
potentially avert back pain. Pflugerville Wellness Center will ask you questions, and you
are encouraged to ask Pflugerville Wellness Center questions, also!