Before You Reach for That Bottle of Pills, Reach for New Research from The Lancet

If you have back pain, you may not want to reach for that bottle of pills. Brand new research from one of the oldest and most respected medical journals, the Lancet, has showcased that mediations, injections, and surgery should be your last options when dealing with back pain. 

They also discussed that a collaborative approach to care, between medical doctors and chiropractors, just might be the future of back pain relief. 

The Lancet showcased that collaborative care model is best when dealing with back pain. Back pain is one of the most significant burdens on people worldwide with over half a billion people suffering at any given time. But here is the really interesting part of their research0 they point out that many of the common practices like medications, injections, and even surgery should not be your first option when dealing with back pain. As a matter of fact, they go on to say that there has historically been a massive gap between what the evidence shows to be effective care and the actual care given in many medical doctors offices today.

Conservative collaborative care, including the care given by chiropractors, is the best place to start. 

Chiropractors were also involved in the publication and the research behind these groundbreaking papers. So, it is a fantastic day when collaborative conservative care comes to the forefront and medications, injections, and surgery go to only those who need it (which thankfully is only a tiny percentage of the people).

So if you know someone who has suffered from back pain, please keep in mind that a collaborative approach to care is best. Staying conservative with exercise, perhaps seeing a chiropractor, staying as active as possible, and maintaining a positive outlook is crucial to recovering and thriving after a bout of low back pain. 

Learn more about this exciting research on The Evidence Based Chiropractor Podcast. 

A Powerfully Simple Tip to Improve Your Chiropractic Website Today

A powerfully simple tip to improve your chiropractic website today! And it is much more simple and easier than you think. Drum roll please....now look at your headline. I've been diving into a ton of chiropractic websites and it looks like they are writing for themselves, not their community and not their prospective patients. 

When you have at the top of your website a statement like "wellness awaits you," who does that speak to? YOU know what that means. But I will nearly guarantee that almost nobody in your community understands your CTA (call to action).

And this applies to every chiropractor regardless of what type of practice you have. If you want to provide pain relief, make sure that you craft a headline that speaks to that person in pain looking for relief. If you're about sports performance, then talk about that in your headline and get prospective patients interested in your service. If you are about more family care, then speak to that. But one thing I've noticed is a plethora of super generic headlines that speak to no one. 

Please keep that in mind, if your headline doesn't engage a visitor immediately, they will bounce off of your website to another chiropractor down the road. I'd encourage you to take a look at your website today and see what is in the title, see what's at the top. 

A couple of words can make a huge difference, and do not underestimate the volume of people looking at your chiropractic website. You have to speak to them. You have to make sure that they believe you are the right place for them. A well-written headline will inspire them to pick up the phone and start that conversation. Then that gives you the ability to see if you can help them reach their health goals and improve their life with chiropractic! 
 

Building Your Chiropractic Brand on Social Media

Building your brand with social media. These days is crucial to market your chiropractic practice online. I want to offer two tactical tips for you to grow your practice in 2018 by building your brand on social media. 

Also, you can check out the long-form portion of this in the latest issue of Chiropractic Economics. 

Number one- every time that you are out in your community focus on highlighting somebody else's business. So take out your smartphone. Take a picture when you are eating lunch at a healthy local shop, when you're grabbing groceries at Whole Foods, etc. Start to showcase other people's businesses by tagging them in your photos on Instagram and Facebook. I can guarantee that they will then share that content with their audience. 

Tactical tip number two is to interview other business owners in your community. A yoga studio, a pilates studio, perhaps even a physical therapist or another healthcare professional. Reach out and start to schedule interviews with them that you can stream on Facebook Live. Or if you're uncomfortable on camera, simply use the audio and post it as a podcast or blog.

It will help you build your brand (and goodwill) in your community. You will be able to get more eyes on your content and also help you make relationships to get more patients exposed to your practice and your clinic. There you have it! Two tactical tips to build your brand on social media. 

Behind the Scenes of RockTape Rockstock 2017

Join me as we hop behind the scenes of RockTape Rockstock 2017. 

Come behind the scenes with me at RockTape RockStock 2017. RockStock’s mission is to unite a community of health and fitness professionals dedicated to movement innovation.

Taking place in beautiful Huntington Beach, the event had chiropractors, therapists, movement and healthcare professionals of all disciplines having fun, learning cutting edge techniques, and collaborating on how to provide the best patient-centric care! 

I was fortunate to to catch up with RockTape Medical Director, Steve Capobianco, Crossover Health's Dan Lord, and Chiropractic Radiologist Cliff Tao. Check out the video about for interviews with all of them where we talk about movement, the future of healthcare, and chiropractic radiology. 

Rockstock 2018 is an event you don't want to miss! 

How to Find Relief from Pinched Nerves

Pinched nerves are not exactly what most people would call a good time. A pinched or compressed nerve can cause pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm or leg. It can be debilitating! When the nerves are leaving your spinal column they have very little protection.

And if a disc, ligament, or bone spur get near a nerve…ouch! The pain can start there and then travel the entire length of that nerve root resulting in pain that radiates into your arms and legs. Let’s just say that your nerves don’t like being pushed around. 

Find Natural Relief from Pinched Nerves

The good news is that you can experience a lot of relief by taking the pressure off of the nerves. Research has shown that chiropractic adjustments can help reduce the pinching or compression on those delicate nerves roots. And with less pressure on the nerve, you can finally find relief. 

- Your nerves communicate with every organ, tissue, and cell in your body

- Bone spurs, ligament overgrowth, or disc problems can cause pressure on these nerves 

- Adjustments gently open the holes, or canals, of your spine, thereby decreasing the pressure on the nerves to help you function and feel better! 

Next Steps: 

Take a look around and do some "people watching" today. You will see that many people walk crooked or bent over towards one side. Sometimes this is the result of a pinched nerve. They are trying to lean away from the pain and open up those nerve channels. But, by staying active, maintaining a full range of motion, and getting periodic chiropractic care- you can count on standing tall for years to come! 

Science Source: 

Cervical radiculopathy: a systematic review on treatment by spinal manipulation and measurement with the Neck Disability Index. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 2012

Symptomatic, MRI Confirmed, Lumbar Disc Herniations: A Comparison of Outcomes Depending on the Type and Anatomical Axial Location of the Hernia in Patients Treated With High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude Spinal Manipulation. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2016

If you are a chiropractor? Learn more about this topic and much more here at The Smart Chiropractor.