RESOURCES & GUIDANCE TO START YOUR PATIENT JOURNEY
RESOURCES & EXPERT GUIDANCE TO MEET PATIENTS WHERE THEY ARE
Each patient’s spine health experience is unique, and everyone deserves honest answers and unbiased support to navigate the treatment choices that are right for them. That’s why we’ve created the Patient Journey. We offer a set of resources to guide patients in spine health awareness and prevention as well as diagnosis, treatment, and recovery for conditions ranging from common to severe.
Through the cooperation of our Medical & Scientific Board, we are able to apply an unmatched level of medical expertise to these issues, resulting in meaningful and accessible information that will help patients overcome their challenges and achieve improved spinal health.
PREVENT AND IDENTIFY SYMPTOMS OF BACK AND NECK PAIN.
Prevention: Behavior and lifestyle factors that help prevent back and neck pain.
- Posture: Proper spinal alignment helps to alleviate and prevent back pain.
- Workplace Ergonomics: Maintaining a healthy back and neck at the office.
- Safe Lifting: Avoid back pain with stress reducing practices.
- Relax: Avoid back pain with stress reducing practices
- Sleeping: Identify the best ways to sleep for a healthy back.
- Smoking: Understand the impact that smoking has on bone density, disc health, connective tissues, and more.
- Nutrition and Weight Control: Maintaining a healthful weight and good nutrition assists in back pain prevention and reduces stress on the spine.
- Exercise: A commitment to fitness helps prevent back pain and speed recovery if pain does occur.
- Physical Therapy for Prevention: Consider physical therapy before pain occurs to avoid back and neck pain from occurring at all.
- Spine Specialists: A guide for choosing a medical professional that fits your needs.
UNDERSTAND CONDITIONS AND HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH PROVIDERS.
Choosing a Specialist: Identify the best spine specialists for you.
Conditions: Learn more about your spinal health condition.
- Disc Degeneration: The aging process of the discs in the spine that can be either minor discomfort or inhibiting pain.
- Facet Syndrome: Inflammation of the facet joints that are located between the vertebrae in your spine.
- Herniated Disc: Wear and tear of the spine over the years.
- Spondylolisthesis: Pain caused by one bone in the back sliding in front of the bone below it.
- Stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal column resulting in varying degrees of discomfort.
- Diagnostic Procedures: Understand the different testing and imaging techniques.
EXPLORE TREATMENT OPTIONS THAT WORK.
Non-Surgical Treatment: Available alternatives to surgical treatment.
- Acupuncture: The stimulation of anatomical points on the body using various techniques.
- Aquatic Therapy: Aquatic therapy assists in developing core strength and can support pain reduction and healing.
- Chiropractic: A qualified, reputable chiropractor can be used under certain circumstances to assist in back and neck pain treatment.
- Ice or Heat?: Choosing between ice and heat for injuries depends on the type of injury and also personal preferences.
- Injections: Injections performed by a specialists can result in pain reduction without surgical intervention.
- Medications: Different types of medications can assist in spinal pain alleviation, although are not a singular treatment option.
- Physical Therapy: Inflammation management, improved mobility, and return to functional movement are all part of physical therapy.
- Regenerative Therapy: Allows the body to heal from within by rejuvenating and regenerating cells, replacing damaged tissue, and restoring function.
Surgical Treatment: Surgical options available to alleviate back and neck pain.
- Deciding to have Surgery: Determine if surgery is the path for you.
- Preparing for Surgery: A guide for patients on what to do to making surgery easier and less stressful.
- Artificial Disc Replacement: An artificial disc is designed to closely replicate a real disc and its functions.
- Fusion: The joining of two vertebraes in the spine.
- Laminotomy/Laminectomy: Surgery performed to alleviate pressure on spinal nerves and/or spinal cord.
- Laminoplasty: Surgery which allows more room to the spinal cord in the neck when it is compressed by disc material, bone spurs, or ligaments.
- Microdiscectomy: With a small incision, professionals are able to alleviate nerve pain.
- Minimally Invasive Surgery: Technical innovations and advances allow surgeons to perform less invasive surgery resulting in quicker recoveries and less complications in patients.
DISCOVER RESOURCES AND WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY.
- FAQ: Answers to common questions post-surgery.
- Caregiver Support: Useful information on how to care for and support a loved one.
CELEBRATE YOUR STORY BECAUSE YOU ARE A SPINAL CHAMPION!
If you are someone who has achieved an improved quality of life through spinal health care, then you are a Spinal Champion! We know that patients facing a debilitating back or neck condition can often feel lost, alone, and overwhelmed – but the road to recovery doesn’t have to be a lonely one. Our Spinal Champions share their stories as a way to inspire and offer hope to other patients.
Read a Spinal Champion Story: Our community of Spinal Champions is a source of inspiration and hope for those facing spine conditions. These individuals have generously shared their personal stories with us, detailing their struggles and triumphs. Their courage and resilience are truly remarkable, and their willingness to share their experiences helps others find the strength and motivation to persevere through difficult times. If you would like to read these inspirational stories, you can locate them here.
Share Your Spinal Champion Story: Have you achieved an improve quality of life through spinal health care? If so, we want to hear your story! We welcome and encourage you to submit your story, as each journey to recovery is equally powerful and offers inspiration those who may be going through similar challenges. You can submit your story here.
Join Our Private Facebook Support Group: Our private Facebook support group is a place where you can engage directly with other patients just like you. This page is a great place to ask questions, seek advice or just commiserate. Join here.
BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT, INSPIRATION, AND HOPE
Our Spinal Champions program is a shining example of the incredible potential for hope and healing in those who have undergone treatment for neck or back pain. By sharing their experiences, Spinal Champions help others find the strength and comfort they need to persevere. If you have a Spinal Champion story of your own, we urge you to join our growing community and share your experience. Your story can provide hope and encouragement to others.
Spine-Talks
Spine-Talks® is the premier educational platform designed to empower patients with knowledge and hope. Hear from local and national experts discussing current spinal health topics you need to know!