Good ‘Ole Fashioned Pain in Federal Way

Pain is the number one reason people go to the doctor in Federal Way WA. It accounts for over 90% of doctor visits. And over 95% of those pains are neuromusculoskeletal…nerves, muscles and bones. Where? What kinds of pains, you ask? Headaches, neck pains and back pains.

• 45 million Americans suffer chronic headaches.
• 34 million Americans suffer chronic lowback pains.
• 19 million Americans suffer chronic lowback pains with chronic neck pains.
• 9 million Americans suffer just chronic neck pains. (No lowback pain too.)

No Diagnosis in Federal Way WA?

50+ million Americans have no definitive diagnoses for these pains other than Lumbalgia (lowback pain), Cervicalgia (neck pain) and Cephalgia (head pain). Shouldn't a diagnosis be about a cause rather than an effect? Shouldn't it be about why a person has a pain rather than just labeling the pain itself? Often a diagnosis is as much about what a care provider provides for care, as it is about the condition being diagnosed.

The current Congressional Medicare Demonstration Project for Health Care Reform revealed that of patients with pain seeking medical help…58% received pain pills; 30% received pain injections; and 12% received surgery. Only 11% reported to receive 'moderate to complete relief".

In this same study it was found that 39% of patients seeking chiropractic care do so due to "insufficient relief" from prior medical care, and 60% of patients receiving chiropractic care for pain received "moderate to complete relief".

I don't believe this is because the medical profession is bad. Patients ask for pain relief, and they are given what they ask for in the simplest, cheapest way. But it doesn't last because the cause is not fundamentally discovered and treated…and then frustrated patient's move to some other form of care.

If you are in pain…give consideration to what your health goal is. Is temporary relief all you want, or do you actually want to know what's wrong and actually do something about it.