Confusion Amidst the Corona Virus

Have you lost track of the day, date, month or even time of day? Well you are certainly not alone in that! Besides general whereabouts in time, the shelter in place order in Texas has lead to a lot of confusion amongst patients… are we closed? Are we open? What qualifies as a “medically necessary” visit? In today’s blog post I hope to provide some clarity around these questions, as well as a few helpful tips and reminders!

1) Are we open?

Yes! We are maintaining normal business hours in all of our locations while taking a few extra precautions to keep our patients health, safe and comfortable. The adjusting table, ipad, door handles and all other surfaces are being wiped off with disinfectant between EVERY patient. We have spaced out our scheduling, implementing a 15 minute gap between appointments, to allow for everything to be wiped down and proper social distancing. We are also asking any patients who are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to someone experiencing symptoms to notify us so that they can get rescheduled.

2) What qualifies as a “medically necessary” visit? 

Chiropractors are considered essential healthcare workers. Because we are a primary care physician who can evaluate and diagnose patients with musculoskeletal conditions, it is important that we are able to continue providing our services. This helps to keep people out of urgent care and emergency rooms for issues such as neck pain, back pain, and headaches, which prevents unnecessary exposure and removes strain from the medical system. This also allows healthcare providers who are working tirelessly to receive the care they may require in order to continue doing their jobs without pain or disability. 

With all of that being said, The Texas State Board of Chiropractic Examiners has recommended that licensees should only provide essential chiropractic services for patients with current or recurrent complaints of pain or disability which adversely affects the patient’s ability to engage in the essential activities of daily living or work, or adversely affects the patient’s quality of life, and with anticipation of material improvement under chiropractic care. [1] So basically, if a complaint is affecting your normal daily activities/work or impacting your quality of life… you can come get adjusted!

3) What are the most common complaints we are seeing right now?

Neck and Upper Back Pain: 

With a majority of people working from home we are seeing a slight shift in symptoms. On multiple occasions I have had patients share that they are mixing up their work setup by rotating from the bed, to the sofa, to the desk, to the kitchen table, to the patio. With some of these less than ideal setups, many people are starting to experience tightness and pain in their mid to upper backs and necks. For a few workstation do’s and don’ts be sure to follow us on Instagram and on Facebook.

Low back pain and hip tightness: 

Over the past few years, many people have upgraded their workplace desks to a standing desk and are missing it dearly while quarantined at home. With more sitting comes shortening and tightness of the hip flexors and muscles supporting the low back and core. Tightness and shortening of these muscles can lead to low back pain and hip pain. Taking quick breaks every thirty minutes to walk around or standing up while on a conference call, as well as stretching, are some quick fixes, but if that’s not doing the trick, we are here for you!

Head and Neck Tension:

For pretty much every human being, Covid-19 has brought about new stresses. Parents are now juggling a 40 hour work week, homeschooling, and daycare. Business owners are trying to adapt and overcome changes to their operations. People are taking pay cuts or losing their positions all together. With increased stress comes increased muscle tension. According to  the American Psychological Association, both tension-type headache and migraine headache are associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck and head. [2] Breathing exercises and meditation can be extremely helpful in stress reduction (click here for some quick tips), but it may require a more hands-on approach and that’s where an adjustment and soft tissue work comes in. 

4) What if I’m not comfortable with coming into the office for an appointment?

We’ve got your back (literally)! While I can’t perform an adjustment over the phone or video conference, I can certainly find out more regarding your symptoms and situation. After getting a general idea of what is going on, I can make recommendations of specific things you can do at home to help reduce symptoms and improve function. This can include a combination of stretches, exercises, ergonomic modifications, and/or supplements that might support whatever your situation may be. A  

The software system we use has a HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing application built-in so you can rest assured that your appointment is secure and private. We are even offering a discounted rate for teleconferencing right now. Normally $50, a virtual new patient visit is $40 and existing patient visit is $20 (normally $35). 

While I know this is a difficult time, I hope that you’re finding the positive in it as well. A question/reminder I continue to offer myself is “What is something you are going to miss once we’re no longer in the middle of a pandemic? Go do more of that while being grateful and present in the process!” For me that’s been planting herbs and veggies on my patio, reading, hot baths, meditation, working out, refreshing my Spanish skills, and extra walks with my pup, Rocky. 

If there is anything we can do to make life a little bit easier, please don’t hesitate to reach out! 

Here for you always.

Dr. Nikki 

Resources

1) (2020, April 13) UPDATE: Recommended Guidelines for DCs During COVID-19 Pandemic. Retrieved April 15, 2020. https://www.tbce.state.tx.us

2) Stress Effects on the Body. Retrieved April 16, 2020. https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body