Stenosis Archives

Jeff Williams - evidence-based chiropractor

COVID-Delayed Surgeries & Lumbar Stenosis Research

July 13, 2023 chiropracticforward 00:17:40 0 Comments

CF 288: COVID-Delayed Surgeries & Lumbar Stenosis Research

Today we’re going to talk about COVID-Delayed Surgeries & Lumbar Stenosis Research

But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

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We’re the fun kind of research. Not the stuffy, high-brow, look down your nose at people kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers.

I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast. I’m so glad you’re spending your time with us learning together.

Chiropractors – I’m hiring at my personal clinic. I need talent, ambition, drive, smart, and easy to get along with associates. If this is you and Amarillo, TX is your speed, send me an email at creekstonecare@gmail.com

If you haven’t yet I have a few things you should do.

Go to Amazon and check our my book called The Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic: A Unique Journey Into The Research. It’s excellent educational resource for you AND your patients. It saves you time putting talks together or just staying current on research. It’s categorized into sections so the information is easy to find and written in a way that is easy to understand for everyone. It’s on Amazon. That’s the Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic by Jeff Williams.
Then go Like our Chiropractic Forward Facebook page,
Join our private Chiropractic Forward Facebook group, and then
Review our podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to
Last thing real quick, we also have an evidence-based brochure and poster store at com

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #289

Now if you missed last week’s episode, we talked about Mindfulness For Knee Replacement & The Use Of Tuina.

Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class.

On the personal end of things…..

I’ll share with you all that I’ve been messing around a lot with AI and how it can make my life easier while saving me money. And it has.

What I’ve figured out so far:

I used to have to hire a virtual assistant off of Upwork to create my personal website blogs. I would always go in and take out the vitalist, philosophy stuff and make the blog mine but, for the bulk of the blogging, they would do it. Now, AI does it. I do the same process on my end but it doesn’t cost me nearly as much each week. In fact, the assistant, come to find out, was using AI and charging me as if they were the one creating it all. Now, I’ve cut out the middleman and saved money.
I was intimidated in the beginning, but I recently started experimenting with lots of AI image creation apps. I finally settled on one I really like and now, I can make unique, non-copyrighted images for my blogs, social media, etc. No more lame images off of Pixabay to find a non-licensed image anymore. I just make my own and, I have to admit, it’s kind of fun.

There is definitely a learning curve on AI right now but once you’ve crossed the threshold, it’s all downhill and life is good. I have some crude southern sayings to describe the easy life but I’ll save those for personal, one on one conversations if we ever meet in person.

So that’s what’s been on my radar lately.

Also, there is a group here in Texas that is buying percentages of practices. You still run it as you always have but they do the HR, billing and collections, AR, etc. All of the soul sucking parts of practice. No name change and the valuation and offering for 60% is more than fair.

That’s on my radar. We might do that. Life would smooth out if we did some of that. Keeping up with this machine without a dependable billing/collections dept is just a train wreck and hurts the heart pretty much every week.

As always, as we make our way through the mud and muck, I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

For now though, let’s get into the research, shall we?

Item #1

The first one today is called “Patients who delayed non-emergency surgeries during the pandemic are returning for care” by Beth Kutscher and published in LinkedIn on June 29, 2023. Dayum. That’s hot.

Why They Did It

The patients who postponed non-emergency surgeries during the pandemic are now seeking care, leading to an increase in surgical volume.

This has sparked a discussion about the necessity of these procedures. The motive behind studying the prevalence of unnecessary surgeries is to identify potential areas where healthcare resources and costs can be optimized.

How They Did It

The analysis involves studying the rates of surgical procedures and identifying cases that may be deemed unnecessary.
The Lown Institute conducted a controversial study that identified over 106,000 potentially unnecessary surgeries between March and December 2020.
However, the study’s methodology and conclusions were criticized by the American Hospital Association for having limitations and flaws. Other studies have also shown significant variations in surgical rates across countries and states, such as the high c-section rate in the United States and the discrepancy in lumbar fusion rates.

Vijay Yanamadala, a spine surgeon, conducted his own research on unnecessary lumbar spinal fusions, estimating that over 50% of such surgeries may be unnecessary. He also referenced the Lown Institute data, which suggests that back procedures, including vertebroplasty for osteoporosis and spinal fusion for back pain, contribute to about one-third of unnecessary surgeries.

Yanamadala wears two hats in this context, serving as a neurosurgeon and also as the chief medical officer for Sword Health, a company providing digital physical therapy.

What They Found

The Lown Institute’s study identified a large volume of potentially unnecessary procedures.
Yanamadala’s research specifically focused on lumbar spinal fusions and suggested that over 50% of them could be unnecessary.
Back procedures, including vertebroplasty and spinal fusion, were found to account for a significant portion of unnecessary surgeries.

Wrap It Up

The analysis of surgical procedures suggests that there is an issue with unnecessary surgeries in the healthcare system.
Factors contributing to unnecessary surgeries include poor compliance with physical therapy before surgery and the profit-driven nature of the U.S. healthcare system.
While elective surgeries are profitable for hospitals, there is a shortage of physical therapists, and certain specialties, such as neurosurgery, are more sought-after than non-surgical specialties like spinal cord injury fellowships.

The findings emphasize the need for a more balanced and patient-centered approach to surgical decision-making. Optimizing healthcare resources, improving compliance with non-surgical alternatives like physical therapy, and addressing the disparities in access to appropriate care are important steps toward reducing unnecessary surgeries and ensuring that patients receive the right care.

Before getting to the next one,

Next thing, go to https://www.tecnobody.com/en/products That’s Tecnobody as in T-E-C-nobody. They literally have the most impressive clinical equipment I’ve ever seen. I own the ISO Free and am looking to add more to my office this year or next. The equipment you’re going to find over there can be marketed in your community like crazy because you’ll be the only one with something that damn cool in your office.

When you decide you can’t live without those products, send me an email and I’ll give you the hookup. They will 100% differentiate your clinic from your competitors.

I have to tell you, Dr. Chris Howson, the inventor of the Drop Release tool re-activated the code! Use the code HOTSTUFF upon purchase at droprelease.com & get $50 off your purchase. Would you like to spend 5-10 minutes doing pin and stretch and all of that? Or would you rather use a drop release to get the same or similar results in just a handful of seconds. I love it, my patients love it, and I know yours will too. droprelease.com and the discount code is HOTSTUFF. Go do it.

Item #2

Our last one this week is called, “A prospective study of non-surgical versus surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis without instability” by Jung et al. and published in PubMed on August 17, 2020.

Why They Did It

This study compared non-surgical and surgical outcomes in surgical candidates for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).

How They Did It

Surgical candidates for stenosis were prospectively screened.
Patients were offered the option to be enrolled in a randomized cohort, an observational cohort, or not to participate.
Patient-reported outcomes were evaluated at baseline, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 month
The primary outcomes were measures of pain and functional outcomes such as the Korean version of the Oswestry Disability Index (K-ODI), the EuroQol 5-Dimension instrument (EQ-5D), and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).

What They Found

110 patients were enrolled in the randomized cohort and 37 patients in the observational cohort.

Among them, 97 patients received non-surgical treatment, and 50 patients underwent surgical treatment.

At 12 months, the non-surgical treatment group had less improvements in the primary outcome measures of back pain, leg pain, EQ-5D utility index and EQ-5D VAS.

Most SF-36 section parameters also showed less improvement in the non-surgical treatment group than in the surgical treatment group throughout the 12-month follow-up.

Wrap It Up

In stenosis patients without instability, non-surgical treatment resulted in less pain improvement and functional recovery through 1 year.

Alright, that’s it. Keep on keepin’ on. Keep changing our profession from your corner of the world. The world needs evidence-based, patient-centered practitioners driving the bus. The profession needs us in the ACA and involved in leadership of state associations. So quit griping about the profession if you’re doing nothing to make it better. Get active, get involved, and make it happen.

Let’s get to the message. Same as it is every week.

Store

Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com.

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

The Message

When compared to the traditional medical model, research and clinical experience show us patients can get good to excellent results for headaches, neck pain, back pain, and joint pain to name just a few.

It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient.

And, if the patient treats preventatively after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

Key Point:

At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints….

That’s Chiropractic!

Contact

Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes.

Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms.

We know how this works by now. If you value something, you have to share it, interact with it, review it, talk about it from time to time, and actively hit a few buttons to support it here and there when asked. It really does make a big difference.

Connect

We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

Website

Home

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TuneIn

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About the Author & Host

Dr. Jeff Williams – Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (FIANM) and Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Professionals (DABFP) – Chiropractor in Amarillo, TX, Chiropractic Advocate, Author, Entrepreneur, Educator, Businessman, Marketer, and Healthcare Blogger & Vlogger

Subacromial Dry Needling & Lumbar Discs With Stenosis Present

April 19, 2023 chiropracticforward 0:17:04 0 Comments

CF 276: Subacromial Dry Needling & Lumbar Discs With Stenosis Present

Today we’re going to talk about Subacromial Dry Needling & Lumbar Discs With Stenosis Present

But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

OK, we are back and you have found the Chiropractic Forward Podcast where we are making evidence-based chiropractic fun, profitable, and accessible while we make you and your patients better all the way around. We’re the fun kind of research. Not the stuffy, high-brow, look down your nose at people kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers. I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast. I’m so glad you’re spending your time with us learning together. Chiropractors – I’m hiring at my personal clinic. I need talent, ambition, drive, smart, and easy to get along with associates. If this is you and Amarillo, TX is your speed, send me an email at creekstonecare@gmail.com If you haven’t yet I have a few things you should do.

Go to Amazon and check our my book called The Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic: A Unique Journey Into The Research. It’s excellent educational resource for you AND your patients. It saves you time putting talks together or just staying current on research. It’s categorized into sections so the information is easy to find and written in a way that is easy to understand for everyone. It’s on Amazon. That’s the Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic by Jeff Williams.
Then go Like our Chiropractic Forward Facebook page,
Join our private Chiropractic Forward Facebook group, and then
Review our podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to
Last thing real quick, we also have an evidence-based brochure and poster store at com

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #276 Now if you missed last week’s episode , we talked about Remote Myofascial Release & Manual Versus Instrumental Spinal Manipulation. Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class. On the personal end of things….. As we speak, I’m getting ready to meet my friends from the MCM Florida Mastermind this coming weekend. Now, I’m a couple of weeks ahead on these podcast episodes for most of you so by the time you hear this one, it’ll have come and gone but that’s what’s happening right now. What the hell is the MCM Mastermind you might ask? Well, Dr. Kevin Christie of the Modern Chiropractic Marketing podcast put it all together a couple of years ago. It started out at about 15 of us from around the country and I think we’re up to about 24 right now. Pretty capped out I believe. Kevin doesn’t want it any bigger than that but listen up!! He has talked about starting a West Coast mastermind as well. A separate sister group. They won’t be the OGs like our Florida group or anything but just as important…..as far as they know. : ) Anyway, it’s a very unique and very professionally run and organized thing. Lots of masterminds are thrown together a little willy nilly but Kevin, through his work with Strategic Coach, has this down to a science. The education and the speakers are always top notch, the networking and bonding opportunities are ideal for the exchange of ideas and inspiration, and it’s a damn good reason to get out of your clinic and experience something besides those walls. Plus, Kevin has some pretty talented connections. Our members include Brett Winchester, Mark King of MPI, Jay Greenstein, Ben Fergus, and lots lots more. Also, you get perspectives from a range of areas of the country. For example, our members are from

Texas
Alabama
Florida
North Carolina
Montana
Ohio
Connecticut
Illinois
Missouri
New Jersey

And I probably missed a few states but you get the idea. It’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of and I value the incredible connections I’ve made over the last two years. Whether it’s one of Kevin Christie’s masterminds or it’s another you come across, I highly encourage you hop into one….or form your own. You’ll thank yourself. In addition, I’m lining up my stuff for the big 100 Men Who Give A Damn event tonight. I’ve talked about this on the podcast before but we have to be in the community. You must. You can’t do business sitting on your ass in the words of Dan Kennedy so get out and go and do. One of the easiest and best ways to do that is through setting up your own 100 Men Who Give A Damn. Although I’d just go ahead and drop the Men from it and say 100 Who Give A Damn because when the wives come, the men spend more so let’s get all inclusive and get everyone there. You don’t have to do much. I asked 3-4 folks to help me and I picked them from different areas of the community and different industries for a wider net. One being internet, website, etc. We got a site up and were off and running. You have one event per quarter. Most businesses are happy to donate their space for charitable events. No membership, no committees or regular meetings. Low maintenance way to have your very own philanthropic group. Check out our site at www.100menamarillo.com and ask me any questions at creekstonecare@gmail.com I’m happy to help you get up and running if interested. No paper work or anything. Just start. Item #1 The first on today is called, “Dry Needling for Subacromial Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis” by David Griswold and published in Pain Medicine on 26 August 2022. Dayum. That’s hot. Why They Did It The authors of this systematic review with meta-analysis evaluated the evidence for the effectiveness of various applications of dry needling (DN) combined with other conservative treatments for subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS). How They Did It

Six databases (PubMED, CINAHL, Biosis, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched after the study had been registered in PROSPERO.
The authors included randomized clinical trials investigating the clinical effects of DN in combination with other conservative interventions for SAPS.
Outcomes included pain and disability.

What They Found

Eight studies were selected. All eight studies involving 10 comparisons were included in the analyses (N = 538). A random-effects model was used to analyze between-group effects.
Dry needling performed in combination with other conservative interventions produced favorable outcomes at all time points for pain and disability.

Wrap It Up The meta-analysis suggests that various applications of DN performed with other conservative interventions are more effective than conservative treatment alone for reducing pain and disability in patients with SAPS. Direct-comparison studies are needed to determine whether one application of DN is superior to another. Before getting to the next one, Next thing, go to https://www.tecnobody.com/en/products That’s Tecnobody as in T-E-C-nobody. They literally have the most impressive clinical equipment I’ve ever seen. I own the ISO Free and am looking to add more to my office this year or next. The equipment you’re going to find over there can be marketed in your community like crazy because you’ll be the only one with something that damn cool in your office. When you decide you can’t live without those products, send me an email and I’ll give you the hookup. They will 100% differentiate your clinic from your competitors. I have to tell you, Dr. Chris Howson, the inventor of the Drop Release tool re-activated the code! Use the code HOTSTUFF upon purchase at droprelease.com & get $50 off your purchase. Would you like to spend 5-10 minutes doing pin and stretch and all of that? Or would you rather use a drop release to get the same or similar results in just a handful of seconds. I love it, my patients love it, and I know yours will too. droprelease.com and the discount code is HOTSTUFF. Go do it. Item #2 Our last one this week is called, “Conservative Treatments for Lumbar Disc Herniation at L3-4 or L4-5 Were More Likely to Fail When Ipsilateral Foraminal Stenosis Was Present at the Caudally Adjacent Segment” by Shuchen Ding and published in PubMed on 14 February 2023. Hot potato! Why They Did It To prove conservative treatments are important in lumbar disc herniation (LDH), but predictors for poor outcomes are unclear. How They Did It

Consecutive patients with unilateral single-level LDH at L3-4 or L4-5 were enrolled. Baseline clinical data were collected, and lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging was evaluated.
Foraminal stenosis was evaluated using Lee’s approach and further categorized as absence (grade 0 and 1) or presence (grade 2 or 3).
Each patient underwent conservative treatments (oral meloxicam and dexamethasone, corset, back extension exercise, physiotherapy, and manual therapy) for 6 weeks.
Conservative treatments were defined as failed if a patient underwent surgery within 6 weeks or reported poor recovery at 6-week follow-up.
Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the associations of failed conservative treatments with baseline characteristics and magnetic resonance imaging findings.

What They Found

The study included 222 patients (mean age 45.5 ± 9.8 years). Of patients, 48 (21.6%) had concurrent ipsilateral foraminal stenosis at the caudal segment, and conservative treatments failed in 39 (17.6%).
At baseline, patients with LDH and caudal foraminal stenosis were older (50.79 ± 6.14 years vs. 44.10 ± 10.13 years, P < 0.001), had greater leg pain (7.06 ± 1.17 vs. 6.39 ± 1.40, P = 0.003), and had a higher rate of positive straight leg raising test (54.2% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.008) than patients without caudal foraminal stenosis.
In multivariate regression, failure of conservative treatments was associated with positive straight leg raising test (odds ratio 2.26, P = 0.046), and caudal foraminal stenosis (odds ratio 3.20, P = 0.007).

Wrap It Up In the presence of caudal foraminal stenosis and positive SLR test, conservative treatments were more likely to fail in patients with LDH. Alright, that’s it. Keep on keepin’ on. Keep changing our profession from your corner of the world. The world needs evidence-based, patient-centered practitioners driving the bus. The profession needs us in the ACA and involved in leadership of state associations. So quit griping about the profession if you’re doing nothing to make it better. Get active, get involved, and make it happen. Let’s get to the message. Same as it is every week. Store Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com.

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

The Message

It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient.

And, if the patient treats preventatively after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

Key Point:

At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints….

That’s Chiropractic!

Contact

Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes.

Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms.

Connect

We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

Website

Home

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/chiropracticforward/

Chiropractic Forward Podcast Facebook GROUP

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938461399501889/

Twitter

Tweets by Chiro_Forward

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtc-IrhlK19hWlhaOGld76Q

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/chiropractic-forward-podcast-chiropractors-practicing/id1331554445?mt=2

Player FM Link

https://player.fm/series/2291021

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-chiropractic-forward-podcast-chiropractors-practicing-through

TuneIn

https://tunein.com/podcasts/Health–Wellness-Podcasts/The-Chiropractic-Forward-Podcast-Chiropractors-Pr-p1089415/

About the Author & Host

Does Supplementation Work & Non-Surgical Treatment For Stenosis

August 11, 2022 chiropracticforward 00:18:17 0 Comments

CF 241: Does Supplementation Work & Non-Surgical Treatment For Stenosis Today we’re going to talk about if vitamin Supplementation Works for preventing cardiovascular issues or cancer and we’ll talk about Non-Surgical Treatment For Stenosis But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

Go to Amazon and check our my book called The Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic: A Unique Journey Into The Research. It’s a great resource for patient education and for YOU. It saves you time in putting talks together or just staying current on research. It’s categorized into sections and written in a way that is easy to understand for you and patients. Just search for it on Amazon. That’s the Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic by Jeff Williams.
Then go Like our Facebook page,
Join our private Facebook group, and then
Review our podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to
Last thing real quick, we also have an evidence-based brochure and poster store at chiropracticforward.com

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #241 Now if you missed last week’s episode, we talked about Brain Activity From Spinal Manipulative Therapy & PT Is As Good As Arthoscopic Surgery For Meniscus Issues. Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class.

On the personal end of things…..

What an amazing weekend in Tampa Florida, y’all. Seriously. When you think about a mastermind weekend, you think about learning stuff. And yes….absolutely, we’re learning. Friday from 8-5 we’re learning. Saturday from 8-1, we’re learning. What doesn’t get counted or thought about is the discussion between the members during the classroom time.

We’re not talking about your chiropractor down the street. In some cases, we’re talking about the cream of the crop in the evidence-based chiropractic world. We’re talking about doctors that have taught around the world. We’re talking about chiropractors that have 6+ associates under them. We’re having discussions with people on that level involved and contributing and sharing. But what also doesn’t get counted or thought about is what happens outside of the classroom.

The bonds that have been forged over the past 7 months of being in this group. The friendships that have been formed. The networking and the sharing of tools, thoughts, and processes. Little things like…..have you ever considered charging a small $2.00 admin fee on every checkout so that you can cover ordering a patient’s records, filing and dealing with insurance companies, denials, etc….credit card fees, writing mattress and freaking hot tub notes, and all of the other crap we have to do for free?

Well, that came up in the group, we brainstormed it, came up with a sign for the lobby to warn patients, and knock it out. A $2.00 fee per transaction will bring in an additional $25,000 or so per year and cover my credit card fees with a little left over for other admin costs. Not one word from the patients has been said according to those in the group already doing it.

That’s just the beginning.

Did you know there are lots of government credits you probably qualify for that you’re not getting? I didn’t either until I joined this group. We estimate most of us have made 20x the return on investment so far. So that’s pretty amazing. And then….the bonds. I have been fortunate enough to create a network and bonds with these folks that will be with me for the rest of my life. Not just professionally but personally as well. And they don’t just help me with my practice but referrals for speaking engagements and things that are professional but outside of the clinic. It’s been great, folks. If you’re an earner and go-getter and you want to be a part of it, email Kevin Christie at drkchristie@gmail.com or email me at dr.williams@chiropracticforward.com and we’ll get you connected to see if you’re right for the group.

Alright, let’s dive in.

Item #1

Our first one today is called, “Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplementation to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement” by the US Preventive Services Task Force (Force 2022) and published on June 21, 2022. And it’s hotter than Tampa in July!

Why They Did It

According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 52% of surveyed US adults reported using at least 1 dietary supplement in the prior 30 days and 31% reported using a multivitamin-mineral supplement. The most commonly cited reason for using supplements is for overall health and wellness and to fill nutrient gaps in the diet. Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the 2 leading causes of death and combined account for approximately half of all deaths in the US annually. Inflammation and oxidative stress have been shown to have a role in both cardiovascular disease and cancer, and dietary supplements may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects.

Objective

To update its 2014 recommendation on the evidence on the efficacy of supplementation with single nutrients, functionally related nutrient pairs, or multivitamins for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality in the general adult population, as well as the harms of supplementation.

How They Did It

Community-dwelling, nonpregnant adults.

What They Found

The USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that the harms of beta carotene supplementation outweigh the benefits for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer.
The USPSTF also concludes with moderate certainty that there is no net benefit of supplementation with vitamin E for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer.
The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of supplementation with multivitamins for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Evidence is lacking and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined.
The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of supplementation with single or paired nutrients (other than beta carotene and vitamin E) for the prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Evidence is lacking and the balance of benefits and harms cannot be determined.

Wrap It Up

So….nothing firm for beta carotene, Vitamin E, or multivitamins or a combo for preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Before getting to the next one, I have to tell you, Dr. Chris Howson, the inventor of the Drop Release tool re-activated the code! It’s live again. Use the code HOTSTUFF upon purchase at droprelease.com to get $50 off your purchase. Y’all, it makes a world of difference. Would you like to spend 5-10 minutes doing pin and stretch and all of that? Or would you rather use a drop release to get the same or similar results in just a handful of seconds? My patients love it and I know yours will too. droprelease.com and the discount code is HOTSTUFF. Go do it. Hear me now and believe me later.

Item #2 Our last one this week is called, “Non-operative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication: an updated systematic review” by Ammendolia et. al. (Ammendolia C 2022) and published in BMJ Open on January 19, 2022. Sizzle baby. It’s hot.

Why They Did It

Neurogenic claudication due to lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a growing health problem in older adults. We updated our previous Cochrane review (2013) to determine the effectiveness of non-operative treatment of LSS with neurogenic claudication.

How They Did It

A systematic review.
We only included randomised controlled trials published in English where at least one arm provided data on non-operative treatment and included participants diagnosed with neurogenic claudication with imaging confirmed LSS.

What They Found

Of 15,200 citations screened, 156 were assessed and 23 new trials were identified.
There is moderate-quality evidence from three trials that:
Manual therapy and exercise provides superior and clinically important short-term improvement in symptoms and function compared with medical care or community-based group exercise;
Manual therapy, education and exercise delivered using a cognitive-behavioral approach demonstrates superior and clinically important improvements in walking distance in the immediate to long term compared with self-directed home exercises and
Glucocorticoid plus lidocaine injection is more effective than lidocaine alone in improving statistical, but not clinically important improvements in pain and function in the short term.

Wrap It Up

There is moderate-quality evidence that a multimodal approach that includes manual therapy and exercise, with or without education, is an effective treatment and that epidural steroids are not effective for the management of LSS with neurogenic claudication.
All other non-operative interventions provided insufficient quality evidence to make conclusions on their effectiveness.

We use Dr. Ammendolia’s program for stenosis patients in our office and it’s legit. It really helps. Our patients get outstanding results when they’re on the program, being good teammates and doing the things they’re supposed to be doing. Stenosis is a lack of real estate. It’s frustrating for patients and practitioners but over the years, Dr. Ammendolia’s course has been the most impressive way of treating it I’ve ever experienced.

Store Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com.

Purchase Dr. Williams’s book, a perfect educational tool and chiropractic research reference for the daily practitioner, from the Amazon store TODAY!

The Message

I want you to know with absolute certainty that when Chiropractic is at its best, you can’t beat the risk vs reward ratio because spinal pain is primarily a movement-related pain and typically responds better to movement-related treatment rather than chemical treatments like pills and shots. When compared to the traditional medical model, research and clinical experience show us patients can get good to excellent results for headaches, neck pain, back pain, and joint pain to name just a few. It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient. And, if the patient treats preventatively after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

Key Point: At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints…. That’s Chiropractic!

Contact Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes. Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms. We know how this works by now. If you value something, you have to share it, interact with it, review it, talk about it from time to time, and actively hit a few buttons to support it here and there when asked. It really does make a big difference.

Connect We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

Website https://www.chiropracticforward.com

Social Media Links https://www.facebook.com/chiropracticforward/

Chiropractic Forward Podcast Facebook GROUP https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938461399501889/

Twitter https://twitter.com/Chiro_Forward

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TuneIn https://tunein.com/podcasts/Health–Wellness-Podcasts/The-Chiropractic-Forward-Podcast-Chiropractors-Pr-p1089415/

About the Author & Host Dr. Jeff Williams – Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine (FIANM) and Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Professionals (DABFP) – Chiropractor in Amarillo, TX, Chiropractic Advocate, Author, Entrepreneur, Educator, Businessman, Marketer, and Healthcare Blogger & Vlogger

Bibliography

Ammendolia C, H. C., Plener J, Bussières A, Schneider MJ, Young JJ, Furlan AD, Stuber K, Ahmed A, Cancelliere C, Adeboyejo A, Ornelas J (2022). “Non-operative treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication: an updated systematic review.” BMJ Open 12(1).

Force, U. P. S. T. (2022). “Vitamin, Mineral, and Multivitamin Supplementation to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.” JAMA 327(23): 2326-2333.

Lumbar Stenosis

May 26, 2022 chiropracticforward 00:18:33 0 Comments

CF 230: Lumbar Stenosis

Today we’re going to talk about lumbar stenosis

But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

We’re the fun kind of research. Not the stuffy, high-brow kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers.

I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast.

If you haven’t yet I have a few things you should do.

Go to Amazon and check our my book called The Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic: A Unique Journey Into The Research. It’s a great resource for patient education and for YOU. It saves you time in putting talks together or just staying current on research. It’s categorized into sections and written in a way that is easy to understand for you and patients. Just search for it on Amazon. That’s the Remarkable Truth About Chiropractic by Jeff Williams.
Then go Like our Facebook page,
Join our private Facebook group, and then
Review our podcast on whatever platform you’re listening to
Last thing real quick, we also have an evidence-based brochure and poster store at chiropracticforward.com

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #230

Now if you missed last week’s episode , we talked about T-sp Adjustments For Neck, Not Headache & Physical Activity In Children. Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class.

On the personal end of things…..

As I mentioned last week, I just finished the book called Who Not How by Dan Sullivan and another dude. Lol I can’t remember his name and don’t have time to look. Brad Hanby or something like that. Anyway, I’m on the hunt for an associate as a result. Great book and I know that with some help, not only will I have more time available to be a more effective clinic owner and doctor, but I’ll have the opportunity to grow the practice as well. It’ll be great. Give me a holler if interested in working in a busy evidence-based, patient -centered and medically integrated clinic that is making a difference int he Texas Panhandle. That’s us.

Now, I’ve started reading a book recommended to me by Ben Fergus of the GRIP method fame and a fellow member of the MCM Mastermind you’ve heard me mention. This book is called Think Again by Adam Grant. It’s all about learning to search for the things you don’t really know and be willing to re-think your thoughts and stances on things. I’m still just getting into it a bit but it’s pretty alright and it’s teaching me some stuff.

I also started a book by Gray Cook called The Business Of Movement I saw recommended by Jason Hulme recently in a Facebook group. It’s probably the Forward Thinking Chiropractic Alliance group if I’m guessing. Anyway, that one just came in the mail. Hell, I need an associate just so I’ll have time to read and get up to date. I also just joined an online class called Quadrant Analysis that I’m looking forward to diving into.

So, I’m not perfect. Don’t follow everything I do. I could do better soap notes. I could do a lot of things better but….#1 our patients are 99% likely to refer us to their friends and family #2 ChiroUp tells me our clinic has about an 80% improvement rate for any and all conditions considered. #3 I’m 49, been in this sucker for 24 years, and I can’t wait to learn more and more. We can always learn more. We can always get better. We never know it all. If I ever find an associate that wants to come to the Texas Panhandle, that’ll be one of the first things I make sure they understand. If you ever stop learning, you’re either ignorant or you’re arrogant. Each is equally appalling.

Boom, snap, pow, slap.

Some of you may have seen a post by a ‘chiropractor’ …..I use the term loosely when referring to this dummy. She put on social medial recently the following, “An ovarian cyst is a functional gift from nature to make your more attractive and fertile after a traumatic loss. An enlarged prostate is a fit from nature to make you more potent after feeling degraded as a man. Tumors are not mistakes, they are purposeful adaptations.”

Bless her heart…. This little knucklehead is running around spouting this stuff and, yup you guessed it…is a chiropractor. I’m quoted in an article now saying she’s insane. Mostly because that’s my opinion and the only one I can think of that makes any sense with regard to a statement like that.

I bring it up because you have to know these loony birds are out there soiling our names and our hard work. The people that listen regularly here are normal, educated, and hard working evidence based patient centered chiropractors out there changing the world and elevating this profession beyond quack BS that has held the profession back for so long. If however you stumbled upon this podcast and you believe stuff like this is plausible, please, don’t leave. Don’t go anywhere.

Let me introduce you to evidence and research and sanity.

Before getting into the research, I have to tell you, Dr. Chris Howson, the inventor of the Drop Release tool re-activated the code! It’s live again. Use the code HOTSTUFF upon purchase at droprelease.com to get $50 off your purchase. Y’all, it makes a world of difference. Would you like to spend 5-10 minutes doing pin and stretch and all of that? Or would you rather use a drop release to get the same or similar results in just a handful of seconds. My patients love it and I know yours will too. droprelease.com and the discount code is HOTSTUFF. Go do it. Hear me now and believe me later.

Let’s get to it.

Item #1

This frist one is called “Diagnosis and Management of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis A Review” by Katz et. al. (Katz JN 2022) and published in JAMA on May 3, 2022, that was just like 3 weeks ago damn the heat….It burns

This is more of an article than a standard research paper so lets hit the high points with some relevant quotes from the report.

“Affects an estimated 103 million persons worldwide. Most are treated nonoperatively. Approximately 600 000 surgical procedures are performed in the US each year for lumbar spinal stenosis.”

The prevalence of the clinical syndrome of lumbar spinal stenosis in US adults is approximately 11% and increases with age.”

“The diagnosis can generally be made based on a clinical history of back and lower extremity pain that is provoked by lumbar extension, relieved by lumbar flexion, and confirmed with cross-sectional imaging, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)”

More specifically, from my learning through the Neuromusculoskeletal diplomate program, a little clinic pearl here is the shopping cart sign. If they have to use a shopping cart to lean forward over in order to be able to walk through the grocery store, and sitting almost immediately alleviates the pain, there’s a great chance you have some stenosis on your hands. Pain on extension or extension/rotation can bolster the diagnosis.

Then, on the MRI or CT, if you see the sedimentation sign where the nerve roots stay suspended in teh central canal rather than settling on the bottom of the canal due to gravity. You now have pretty convincing evidence of stenosis.

“In a series of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis followed up for up to 3 years without operative intervention, approximately one-third of patients reported improvement, approximately 50% reported no change in symptoms, and approximately 10% to 20% of patients reported that their back pain, leg pain, and walking were worse.”

That makes a strong argument for no surgery doesn’t it? Look, most do fine with targeted exercise. There is a stenosis protocol in ChiroUp if you’re not usiing the program. While I am a ChiroUp devotee, I actually use the protocol and program from Dr. Carmen Amendolia. You can find all of his info at spinemobility.com It’s excellent and we see really good results using it.

“Multiple clinical trials have studied manual therapy for spinal stenosis, including lumbar distraction mobilization, hip and sacroiliac joint mobilization, manual stretching, and muscle strengthening. In a clinical trial³³ of 58 participants with lumbar spinal stenosis, 79% reported being at least somewhat better following a 6-week program that included manual therapy, treadmill walking, and strengthening and stretching exercises compared with 41% of patients randomized to the flexion exercise group.

The results were similar at 1 year. Schneider et al³¹ randomized 259 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis to 1 of 3 treatment groups: medications with or without epidural injections, manual therapy with individualized exercise, and group exercises. Participants randomized to manual therapy combined with individual exercises had improved their Zurich Claudication Questionnaire scores significantly more at the 2-month follow-up (mean difference, 2.0; 95% CI, 0.4 to 3.6) than did those randomized to medications with or without injections. Participants randomized to group exercises had similar improvement to those receiving medications and/or epidural injections (mean difference, −0.4; 95% CI, −2.1 to 1.3). The differences between groups were negligible at 6 months.”

“Epidural steroid injections may offer modest short-term pain relief but do not appear to last more than 3 weeks.”

“Long-term benefits of epidural steroid injections for lumbar spinal stenosis have not been demonstrated. Surgery appears effective in carefully selected patients with back, buttock, and lower extremity pain who do not improve with conservative management. “

Wrap Up

Lumbar spinal stenosis affects approximately 103 million people worldwide and 11% of older adults in the US. First-line therapy is activity modification, analgesia, and physical therapy. Long-term benefits from epidural steroid injections have not been established. Selected patients with continued pain and activity limitation may be candidates for decompressive surgery.

The key to remember about stenosis is that it isn’t necessarily the size of the hole rather what is happening to the structures going through the hole. If there is no realy inflammation or complication, stenosis patients may never know they have it.

Alright, that’s it this week. Keep on keepin’ on. Keep changing our profession from your corner of the world. The world needs evidence-based, patient-centered practitioners driving the bus. The profession needs us in the ACA and involved in leadership of state associations. So quit griping about the profession if you’re doing nothing to make it better. Get active, get involved, and make it happen.

Let’s get to the message. Same as it is every week.

Store

Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com.

The Message

It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient.

And, if the patient treats preventatively after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

Key Point:

At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints….

That’s Chiropractic!

Contact

Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes.

Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms.

Connect

We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

Website

Home

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/chiropracticforward/

Chiropractic Forward Podcast Facebook GROUP

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938461399501889/

Twitter

Tweets by Chiro_Forward

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtc-IrhlK19hWlhaOGld76Q

iTunes

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https://player.fm/series/2291021

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TuneIn

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About the Author & Host

Bibliography

Katz JN, Z. Z., Mass H, Makhni MC, (2022). “Diagnosis and Management of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Review.” JAMA 327(17): 1688-1699.

Chiropractic Helps VA Cut Opioids & Diagnosing Lumbar Stenosis

October 8, 2020 chiropracticforward 00:24:39 0 Comments

CF 146: Chiropractic Helps VA Cut Opioids & Diagnosing Lumbar Stenosis

Today we’re going to talk about the success of the VA in reducing prescription opioid use – psst, guess who has helped them do that? And we’ll talk about diagnosing and testing for stenosis.

But first, here’s that sweet sweet bumper music

Subscribe button

We’re the fun kind of research. Not the stuffy, high-brow kind of research. We’re research talk over a couple of beers.

I’m Dr. Jeff Williams and I’m your host for the Chiropractic Forward podcast.

If you haven’t yet I have a few things you should do.

Like our Facebook page,
Join our private Facebook group and interact, and then
go review our podcast on iTunes and other podcast platforms.
We also have an evidence-based brochure and poster store at chiropracticforward.com
While you’re there, join our weekly email newsletter. No spam, just a reminder when the newest episodes go live. Nothing special so don’t worry about signing up. Just one a week friends. Check your JUNK folder!!

Do it do it do it.

You have found yourself smack dab in the middle of Episode #146

Now if you missed last week’s episode , we talked about how even kids can hurt. We talked about manipulation for lumbar radiculopathy. And we talked about the lack of attention found on the chiropractic boards for biopsychosocial issues. Make sure you don’t miss that info. Keep up with the class.

While we’re on the topic of being smart, did you know that you can use our website as a resource? Quick and easy, you can go to chiropracticforward.com, click on Episodes, and use the search function to find whatever you want quickly and easily. With over 100 episodes in the tank and an average of 2-3 papers covered per episode, we have somewhere between 250 and 300 papers that can be quickly referenced along with their talking points.

Just so you know, all of the research we talk about in each episode is cited in the show notes for each episode if you’re looking to dive in a little deeper.

Kids Still Hurt, Manipulation For Lumbar Radiculopathy, & Lack Of Attention On The Boards For Biopsychosocial Matters

On the personal end of things…..

To kick off on a cool note you’ll all appreciate, I have a patient that is a med school student that has had amazing results for a pretty significant and lingering disc injury. Your truly opened his eyes to the power of what an evidence-based chiropractor is capable of and it’s paid off for him and, the more of the younger docs that experience something like he has with chiropractic, the more accepted the evidence-based faction of our profession becomes. And the more accepted, the more referrals we get.

That’s not the good news I wanted to share though. The good news is that he said in one of his classes last week, when they were talking about back pain, manipulation was recommended. In med school. Did you freaking A hear that? Med school is now teaching medical doctors that spinal manipulation isn’t only accepted…..but it’s reco-freaking-mended.

Bam, Kapow, Zap, Snap, Whack!!

Super hero noises for cool stuff. Hell yeah.

Moving on, now that school is up and rocking and people are in their normal routines once again, the growth I was talking about a week or two ago is showing to be sustainable at this time. 17 new patients last week tells me we may be slowly getting back to where we were before the Rona. Climbing out of the hole slowly but surely.

I know all states are different. Here in Texas, as many of you may suspect, is challenging. We probably have A LOT more anti-maskers than many states out there have. We’ve been at work, live…in person since May 1st. Some chiros never took the 2 weeks to step back and see what was up. They just kept motoring through. And….I have to say it looks like they were the smart ones from what I’ve seen.

I lost out on 2 weeks of work by shutting down completely. Not only that, but from April 1st or so, we were open but emergency only. Honestly…..how many emergencies do we have? We have some but they’re not going sustain my practice. So….I lost two weeks but only doing the emergency thing made me lose a lot of business as well.

Then, we’re open to everyone and anyone basically on May 1st. Cool, but it took a good while before people started coming in. They knew we closed for a bit and didn’t always know we were back open. Plus, a ton of them were just scared. Understandably.

So, as with everyone else that follows science, rules, and recommendations, we lost out. For sure. Since I’ve been back at it….again….May 1st, it seems that maybe we could have been safely going the whole time. I could look back and be upset that I followed the rules and that I’m a boy scout like that. But, I’m not going to be. Because how quickly we may forget; it was spooky. Nobody knew the mortality rate. Nobody knew what percentage end up in the hospital or what percentage gets put on a ventilator and how those percentages change from age group to age group.

We didn’t know anything about it. When you get reports that the death rate is as high as 5% and then a separate paper says it lives on plastic as much as 3 days…..well hell. Please excuse me a sec while my anxiety goes through the roof. I mean, I want to be polite and excuse myself but yeah, the anxiety was going through the roof for myself as well as for the majority of us out there. Not the subluxation slaying spine whisperers of course but for us sciencers….yeah….we were concerned.

Now we know so much more. We know when everyone in the clinic is masked, we lower our chances of transmission. Life is continuing. Anxiety is still somewhat up there. But life’s continuing as it all seems to work itself out. The college kid cases are going up all the time. As expected because they’re kids and they’re knuckleheads. As long as they don’t take it home to vulnerable folks, then I don’t see it as harmful. It’s only helpful.

My daughter has been going to in-person on-campus junior high with over 1,000 fellow knuckleheads. In the first six weeks there have been 2-3 teachers come down with it and about 4 kids. While that may seem a lot to some of you, I see it as a win so far. All of those people in one building together for 6 weeks and that’s all the spread we have? And let’s be fair, I know one of the teachers for sure got it from her husband who brought it home from work.

To me, it means so far, they are not giving it back and forth to each other at the schools as long as they’re being careful and masking. So far. I really thought they’d all be closed down and go back to strictly online learning by now. I’m still pleasantly wrong. I’ll take it.

Alright folks Enough Rona rambling. I don’t start talking about it becuase I love the topic. I’ll admit that I do find it all fascinating though. I really do. I’m a bit nerdy about stuff like that.

Anyway, I talk about it every week because….damnit….that’s what’s going on. It’s the way it is. It’s in my personal happenings as it is in yours as well. So, I might as well talk about it and share with you my experiences, what I’m seeing in my practice, and how I’m muddling through this mess. It’ll either let you know you’re not alone or it’ll show you what you don’t want to do. I’m good either way. As long as you get some use out of it!

Item #1

This one comes from the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs(2020) and is called “VA reduces prescription opioid use by 64% during past eight years.” It was published online on July 30, 2020…..yep…..pretty damn hot.

This was an article that was basically announcing that t he VA has successfully reduced prescription opioid use in patients within the VA system by 64%. They went from more than 679.000 veterans in 2012 to 247,000 in 2020.

Lancet Low Back Update & Movement Disorders Mean Pain

They say they achieve this dramatic reduction by safer amd more responsible use of opioids but also by treating chronic pain using alternative therapies and treatments. Guess who’s a big part of that? Chiropractors. Yep that’s right. And to be fair…acupuncturists as well. We are getting referrals from the VA for both chiropractic and acupuncture.

They say, the “VA takes an interdisciplinary approach to care focused on a Veteran’s Whole Health by using non-pharmacological, complementary pain management treatments, self-care, skill building, and support to transition from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial model of pain care. “

How many times have you heard me screaming about the biopsychosocial aspect of chronic pain? A LOT….a lot…

If you follow the link in the article to their list of complementary pain management treatments, chiropractic and acupuncture are the first two listed. Good stuff people. Good stuff.

They’re just not there yet but wouldn’t have been nice if the title was something like, “The VA system reduces opioids 64% by be smarter and by using chiropractic and acupuncture.” I’m not holding my breath for that day but it really should read just like that. Baby steps I suppose. Itty bitty, teensy weensy baby steps it seems.

Next paper covers diagnostic tests for stenosis but…

Before we get to the next paper, I want to tell you a little about this new tool on the market called Drop Release. I love new toys! If you’re into soft tissue work, then it’s your new best friend. Heck if you’re just into getting more range of motion in your patients, then it’s your new best friend.

Drop Release uses fast stretch to stimulate the Golgi Tendon Organ reflex. Which causes instant and dramatic muscle relaxation and can restore full ROM to restricted joints like shoulders and hips in seconds.

Picture a T bar with a built-in drop piece. This greatly reduces time needed for soft tissue treatment, leaving more time for other treatments per visit, or more patients per day. Drop Release is like nothing else out there, and you almost gotta see it to understand, so check out the videos on the website.

It’s inventor, Dr. Chris Howson, from the great state of North Dakota, is a listener and friend. He offered our listeners a great discount on his product. When you order, if you put in the code ‘HOTSTUFF’ all one word….as in hot stuff….coming up!! If you enter HOTSTUFF in the coupon code area, Dr. Howson will give you $50 off of your purchase.

Go check Drop Release at droprelease.com and tell Dr. Howson I sent you.

Item #2

This one is called “Diagnostic tests in the clinical diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis: Consensus and Results of an International Delphi Study” authored by Tomkins-Lane et. al(Tomkins-Lane C 2020). and published in European Spine Journal in June of 2020. Damn hot enough!

Why They Did It

The authors wanted to reach a consensus on which diagnostic tests are most important in confirming the clinical diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis

How They Did It

Phase 1: 22 members of the International Taskforce on the Diagnosis and Management of LSS confirmed 35 diagnostic items
An on-line survey was developed that allows experts to express the logical order in which they consider the diagnostic tests, and the level of certainty ascertained from each test.
Phase 2, Round 1: Survey distributed to members of the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine
Round 2: Meeting of 15 members of Taskforce defined final list of 10 items.
Round 3: Survey was distributed internationally, followed by Taskforce consensus.

What They Found

432 clinicians from 28 different countries participated
Certainty of the diagnosis was 60% after selecting the first test and significant change in certainty ceasing after eight items at 90.8% certainty
The most frequently selected tests included MRI/CT scan, neurological examination and walking test with gait observation.
The diagnostic test selected most frequently as the first test was neurological examination.

Wrap It Up

“This is the first study to reach an international consensus on which diagnostic tests should be used in the clinical diagnosis of LSS. The final recommendation includes three core diagnostic items: neurological examination, MRI/CT and walking test with gait observation. The Taskforce also recommends 3 ‘rule out’ tests: foot pulses/ABI, hip examination and test for cervical myelopathy.”

Related but on a separate note, the grocery cart sign hints you toward stenosis. If walking through a grocery store just kills the patient but they can lean over on the cart with their elbows and that alleviates the pain….or if sitting removes the complaint fairly quickly, you need to start sniffing up the stenosis tree.

I am a big fan of Dr. Carmen Amendolia’s program which he was able to validate through research. It’s called the Boot Camp for Stenosis and it’s REALLY turned a very difficult condition to treat into a much more successful outcome for me personally.

Basically, it’s just a lack of real estate in the canals and this program helps the patient understand the condition as well as self manage after a 2xweek for 6 week protocol. It’s well-thought out and very well done. And easy to do and understand.

I highly recommend it. Your stenosis patients will thank you profusely.

Alright, that’s it. Y’all be safe. Keep changing the world and our profession from your little corner of the world. Continue taking care of yourselves and taking care of your neighbors. Tough times are upon us but, the sun will shine again. Trust it, believe it, count on it.

Let’s get to the message. Same as it is every week.

Key Takeaways

Store

Remember the evidence-informed brochures and posters at chiropracticforward.com.

Subscribe Button

The Message

It’s safe and cost-effective can decrease surgeries & disability and we do it through conservative, non-surgical means with minimal hassle to the patient.

And, if the patient treats preventativly after initial recovery, we can usually keep it that way while raising the overall level of health!

Key Point:

At the end of the day, patients should have the guarantee of having the best treatment that offers the least harm. When it comes to non-complicated musculoskeletal complaints….

That’s Chiropractic!

Contact

Send us an email at dr dot williams at chiropracticforward.com and let us know what you think of our show and tell us your suggestions for future episodes.

Feedback and constructive criticism is a blessing and so are subscribes and excellent reviews on podcast platforms.

Connect

We can’t wait to connect with you again next week. From the Chiropractic Forward Podcast flight deck, this is Dr. Jeff Williams saying upward, onward, and forward.

Website

Home

Social Media Links

https://www.facebook.com/chiropracticforward/

Chiropractic Forward Podcast Facebook GROUP

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1938461399501889/

Twitter

Tweets by Chiro_Forward

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtc-IrhlK19hWlhaOGld76Q

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/chiropractic-forward-podcast-chiropractors-practicing/id1331554445?mt=2

Player FM Link

https://player.fm/series/2291021

Stitcher:

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-chiropractic-forward-podcast-chiropractors-practicing-through

TuneIn

https://tunein.com/podcasts/Health–Wellness-Podcasts/The-Chiropractic-Forward-Podcast-Chiropractors-Pr-p1089415/

About the Author & Host

Dr. Jeff Williams – Fellow of the International Academy of Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine – Chiropractor in Amarillo, TX, Chiropractic Advocate, Author, Entrepreneur, Educator, Businessman, Marketer, and Healthcare Blogger & Vlogger

Bibliography

(2020). “VA reduces prescription opioid use by 64% during past eight years.” VA US Dept Veterans Affairs.
Tomkins-Lane C, M. M., Wong A, (2020). “Diagnostic tests in the clinical diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis: Consensus and Results of an International Delphi Study.” European Spine Journal 29: 2188-2197.

Stenosis

COVID-Delayed Surgeries & Lumbar Stenosis Research

Subacromial Dry Needling & Lumbar Discs With Stenosis Present

Does Supplementation Work & Non-Surgical Treatment For Stenosis

Lumbar Stenosis

Chiropractic Helps VA Cut Opioids & Diagnosing Lumbar Stenosis

CONTACT

RECENT POSTS