herniated disc model

Vertebrae Model Helps in Back Pain Education

Patient Education with Vertebra Model

making sense

No one can truly estimate how many patients walk into chiropractic offices each year complaining of back pain. Chances are that that number soars into the millions…maybe even more.

Although chiropractors certainly treat more than just back problems, surveys show that it is the most common reason for visits, with about 80 percent of all people reporting some back pain during their lifetime, according to the American Chiropractic Association. Furthermore, low back pain can be very costly, accounting for many missed work and excessive amounts of money allotted for disability payments.

Vertebrae Model Aids showing nerveYet, if people understood why this back pain is present, chances are they would be likely to change the habits that are contributing to the cause. In Canada, the Canadian Chiropractic Association has taken a crack at educating the public about back issues, offering a phone app called Straighten Up Canada, designed to offer tips to improve posture and spinal health. It’s a good start, but can a phone app provide patients (or potential patients) with the info they need to make the right choices regarding their musculoskeletal health? Or do they need something more?

Vertebrae Model Aids Visual Learners

Many people are “visual” learners. While hearing information indeed allows us to absorb facts, actually seeing a visual demonstration often prompts us to gather more complete information and process it in our brains. Visual learners, for example, will retain more if they read a story rather than listen to one.

In learning about chiropractic and the treatments provided, visual learners are usually offered posters and other drawings in hopes that they’ll understand why they are suffering from back pain. But let’s go one step further. A 3-dimensional, hands-on visual, in most cases, allows for even more retention of information, so offering the patient a vertebrae model rather than just an artist’s rendering of the spine can better help these individuals understand their musculoskeletal problems.

Lumbar Discogenic Pain Vertebra modelThat’s where the Dynamic Disc Designs products enter the picture. 3-D spine models like these, which can be held in one’s hand and manipulated as needed, will provide a clearer picture of the inner workings of the body, even for those who have little or no knowledge of anatomy. A vertebrae model such as the Professional LxH is sophisticated enough to be a teaching tool, yet it provides chiropractors with the opportunity to clearly and simply demonstrate to patients a variety of issues involving the spine and back and how to fix them.

A well-made vertebrae model can assist chiropractors in demonstrating the specifics of issues such as dynamic disc bulge, disc herniation, facet inflammation, disc height loss, degenerative disc disease, nerve pinching, stenosis, medial branch innervation, discogenic problems, annular fissures, and more.

A visual demonstration takes less time than a lengthy question-and-answer session, allowing both the doctor and patient an opportunity to save time and stay on schedule. Furthermore, when you’re making a visual demonstration that’s easy to grasp, patients won’t feel as if you’re talking “over their head”, spouting medical jargon that might be hard for the average person to understand.

Doctors who’ve already used DDD spine models note that patients respond positively to them, many having “light bulb” moments when they finally understand why they are experiencing a certain type of pain. And, of course, a good chiropractor knows that patient education is just as important a part of the visit as the adjustment, and a well-educated patient is more apt to follow your suggestions, prompting referrals from satisfied patients and, therefore, helping your practice to grow.


Dynamic Disc Designs

At ddd, we create models demonstrating various anatomical details so health spine specialists can educate their patients about what is going on with their spinal conditions.  Explore.