Patient engagement

A Spine Health Center is Essential to Hardworking Tradespeople

Studies show that nearly everyone deals with back pain at some point in their life. This pain is among the most commonly reported, and the World Health Organization’s Global Burden of Disease study points out that about 37 percent of that pain can be attributed to occupational risk factors. Across the world, that number varies very little, with men suffering slightly more than women. And while back pain doesn’t cause death, it does cause a tremendous numbers of absences from work and, hence, has a huge effect on the world’s economy.

Those most affected by spine pain are laborers we most commonly refer to as tradespeople – those whose jobs involve heavy lifting, bending and twisting, awkward postures, and otherwise demanding work that taxes their entire body. Construction workers are among the most prone to back pain as are heavy machine operators and those who stand on their feet all day. All of these individuals are essential to the infrastructure of America.

So, if you operate a spine health center, chances are you’ll have many encounters with these individuals as many will be reaching out to you in hopes of obtaining relief from their pain. So what will you do for them? Undoubtedly, you’ll examine them to ascertain the problem and then make suggestions for treatment. But will you help them learn what to do to help THEMSELVES?

Truly, a spine specialist has an obligation to educate. Anyone who is suffering from constant lower back pain needs to understand why it’s happening and should leave your office with an arsenal of ideas on how to control that pain or help alleviate it altogether. The best way to accomplish that is with an in-depth education on the workings of the spine.

Dynamic Disc Designs (ddd) offers the right tools for tackling that task. By using ddd’s lumbar and cervical spine models, employees at a spine health center can provide a “regular” lay person with the information they need to understand how this complicated system works. By examining these highly-detailed, fully-dynamic models, even someone without a medical background can walk away with a newfound knowledge of how to start healing.

DDD’s models are the only ones on the market that include a flexible and totally dynamic herniating (or prolapse) nucleus pulposus. And while that may sound like a mouthful to anyone not familiar with the medical terms for parts of the spine, simply the fact that patients can view a true replica of that part of the body and how it works puts them at a distinct advantage over someone who learns about the spine via a book, poster, or static model.

Chris Houtakker, a chiropractor who runs a spine health center, touts the efficacy of Dynamic Disc Designs’ models: “I have been running a chiropractic spinal decompression practice for the past 13 years,” he explains. “The technology of that type of therapy is greatly effective for treating disc pathology only if the patients understand their specific situation and how that relates to the treatment recommended. Since using [ddd’s] LXH model for the past month, I have seen that “light bulb” moment many times. It quickly and effectively brings the patient to a comprehensive understanding of what’s happening to them and why they are in pain.”