Our chiropractor in Denver, Dr. Trent Artichoker, provides custom quality care for his patients in North Denver. At any one time, approximately 10% of the population will be experiencing spinal related pain. Such as neck pain, mid back pain, and low back pain. The chiropractor is well educated and is a specialist when it comes to back related pain. They know when to treat, when to order tests, and when to refer out. The doctor at our clinic near downtown Denver provides thorough consults and exams before any treatment is given to make sure that chiropractic related services are the most appropriate for that unique individual.
Back pain can come from a variety of sources and requires a specialist, such as a chiropractor in Denver to determine the cause of your spinal related pain. Dr. Trent Artichoker is networked with massage therapists, physical therapists, a variety of medical doctor specialists, and has access to a multitude of imaging techniques. The office has friendly staff, an easy to find location with free parking, and the doctor remains professional in his approach to your pain, but yet friendly enough to be comfortable getting chiropractic care.
Dr. Trent Artichoker has a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, a master’s degree in anatomy, and his doctor of chiropractic degree. Altogether he has 10 years of education, and he continues his education every year to gain the best understanding and learn the latest in research to help better his patients. His latest adventures in his educational acumen are his accomplishment of being a graduate of the Spine Research Institute of San Diego’s “Whiplash and Brain Injury” program. As chiropractor in Denver, you are guaranteed to be in good hands and get a specialized treatment plan just for your neck or back pain.
A cookie approach will not work for most patients that have spinal related pain. There are over 600 individual muscles in the back and over 100 joints in the spine alone. The back is an extremely complex beautiful structure that needs a custom evaluation and treatment approach. No back is ever the same, and most neck and back pain are uniquely caused and experienced by the individual. Our chiropractor in Denver in the clinic director for Denver Chiropractic, LLC whos motto is “custom quality care”. We treat you as an individual, and provide you the best care possible for your neck and back related pain.
“Why the Made Whole Doctrine Does Not Apply to Your Lien”
by Attorney Melissa Winther
Recently, we have heard from several chiropractors that their patients’ personal injury attorneys have alleged that the Made Whole doctrine relieves a patient of his/her obligation to pay the chiropractor’s lien. That is not correct. The Made Whole Doctrine limits the rights of insurance companies to get paid back out of an injured person’s recovery. It applies only to a “Payer of benefits” as defined in C.R.S. Section 10-1-135. Chiropractors are not payers of benefits. Payer of benefits “means any insurer, health maintenance organization, health benefit plan, preferred provider organization, employee benefit plan, other insurance policy or plan, or any other payer of benefits. ‘Payer of benefits’ includes a fiduciary of an insurer, plan, or other payer of benefits.’” Benefits “means payment or reimbursement of health care expenses, health care services, disability payments, lost wage payments, or any other benefits of any kind, including discounts and write-offs, provided to or on behalf of an injured party under a policy of insurance, contract, or benefit plan with an individual or group, whether or not provided through an employer.”
When you agree under a lien agreement to wait for payment for your services until a patient’s case is resolved, that does not morph you into a payer of benefits. A physician’s lien agreement is a private contract, not an insurance policy, which is entered into by the parties for mutual consideration after the injury occurs. The fact that you are agreeing to withhold collection efforts for your services does not mean that you have paid any benefits on the patient’s behalf. This is different from a health insurance company which has agreed to pay the health care providers’ bills in accordance with the health insurance contract.
If you are confronted with an attorney who misrepresents the meaning of the Made Whole doctrine, you simply need to let him/her know that you are not a payer of benefits within the meaning of the statute.
Melissa Winthers is an Denver attorney at Fleishman & Shapiro P.C. She represents people who have been injured in collisions and can be reached at 303-861-1000 or mwinthers@colorado-law.net
Cold Laser
We are still far away from hover boards, and time machines, but our advances in laser therapy to treat pain and injuries has come a long way. Our chiropractic clinic in Denver has the latest advancement in laser therapy. We utilize the MR4 Super Pulsed Laser.
This one piece of equipment utilizes a combination of 5 different therapies. It includes in one treatment, 1. A super pulsed laser, 2. Pulsed broad band infrared, 3. Pulsed red light, 4. Static Magnetic field, and 5. Electric stimulation. This is a very powerful combination, that is used to treat over 300 different conditions.
One of the coolest advances with cold laser equipment, is that it has TARGET technology. Which stands for Treatment Area Recognition and Guidance Enchanced Technology. We use the device to scan an area, and it recognizes areas of increased impedence. This is the area we treat. We pull the trigger, and therapy starts, once the impedence improves, the device stops therapy.
One of the big advantages of this type of cold laser therapy is how deep the laser can penetrate. The laser is able to reach 5 inches of tissue depth. This is amazing, and unique in that other modalities cannot achieve this reach.
Clinical effects of the 5 therapies include:
1. activation of RNA and DNA synthesis
2. increased cell metabolism in the form of ATP
3. improvement of microcirculation
4. reinforcement of collagen synthesis and reduced fibrous tissue formation
5. anti-inflammatory response
6. edema reduction
7. pain reduction
8. stimulation of T-cell production
9. increased levels of prostaglandin synthesis
10. gentle heating of surface tissue layer
11. acts upon receptors in the skin and reduces pain
12. microcirculation activation
13. stimulates epithelial cell growth and regeneration
14. reinforces laser penetration into target tissues
15. localized pain relief
16. reduction in swelling
Laser therapy can be a perfect adjunct to the visit to the chiropractor. I schedule 15-20 minute appointments that include any combination of services that we provide to ensure the most impact.
Laser therapy has over 4,000 clinical trials world wide to document the effects. It is used in over 3,000 hospitals, and used in over 10,000 private practices. It can be used on just about any part of the body, and it has relatively few contraindications.
Olympic athletes, the special forces, US major league soccer team, NBA & NFL players, National soccer team, and chronic pain sufferers all utilize the MR4 Super Pulsed Laser.
The laser can treat a multitude of conditions such as
1. acute, sub-acute, and chronic pain
2. back pain
3. neck pain
4. carpal tunnel symptoms
5. arthritis pain
6. fibromyalgia
7. ligament sprains
8. tendonitis
9. tennis elbow
10. soft tissue injuries
11. muscle strain
This is just a partial list of conditions that the cold laser treats. It is used to treat over 300 different conditions. Treatments range from 1 time per week for 5 weeks to 2-3 times per week for 6-15 weeks. The frequency of visits is determined by the magnitude of the condition. Treatment by the laser usually lasts between 5-15 minutes.
In Health,
Dr. Trent Artichoker MS, DC
Denver Chiropractic, LLC
3890 Federal Blvd Unit 1
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-2225
“It will just go away”, “I’ll just take some pain pills”, “It’s nothing, I’ll get over it”, “I’ve had this before, it will go away like it did before”, are just some of the phrases that I’ve heard from patients coming through my door. It is very natural to think that your pain will go away, and perhaps it might, but letting pain linger is like pretending the warning light on your car dash will go away. Perhaps it might go away, but I’ve seen to many people where the pain gets worse and further damage occurs.
To prevent further damage, or the chance of your pain increasing, I would highly advise you to see a professional. I have compiled 10 signs or symptoms that you should see your denver chiropractor for.
1. Pain from Trauma. Many accidents whether they are from auto injuries, sports injuries, or falls can have underlying problems that only a doctor can detect. Auto accidents can be peculiarly benign, but can have serious injuries on the body that can last forever. Treatment for an auto accident should begin as soon as possible to limit the inflammation that occurs and to help restore movement as soon as possible. Trauma can lead to broken bones, torn ligaments, ruptured tendons, herniated discs, nerve damage, and so fourth. Many of these problems can seem as if they will go away on their own, but left untreated they can become chronic and possibly irreversible.
2. Pain that goes into the arms or legs. This should prompt a visit to the chiropractor as soon as possible. Pain that radiates to the extremities is a sign of inflammation, a possible extrusion of the discs, osteophyte compression of the nerve root, or other serious processes that often times will not go away on their own. Appropriate diagnosis is critical for resolution of these types of pains.
3. Pain with reduced range of motion. Pain that appears out of no where, or is unexplainable should also prompt you to see the chiropractic physician. There are underlying disease processes that can cause this, as well as simple treatment options to fix this. Many people go for years in pain, when a chiropractor can fix the issue in usually less than 10 visits.
4. Pain that wakes you at night. Pain experienced at night while sleeping can be a serious problem. If you are waking at night with pain, there could be serious underlying pathology that should be investigated by a doctor. As they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I’ve seen problems that could have been quickly eliminated, but due to the person watching and waiting, their problem had become much worse and devastating.
5. Painful Headaches. There are many types of headaches, and some are more indicative of a serious underlying problem. Headaches can easily be treated by our profession, but we have also been trained to know when a headache is coming from something more serious.
6. Pain with normal everyday activities. I’ve seen people that have been in pain for years, and take NSAID everyday to help control the pain. They land in my office when the pain gets so bad, that they can’t even function. It is very sad that someone has lived in pain for so long, and they could have found relief if someone had just told them to see a chiropractor. Pain is not normal, and should not be addressed with daily NSAIDs. Lots and lots of people die from chronic NSAID use every year.
7. Numbness, tingling, and weakness. These are signs of something very serious occurring. It is the bodies’ way of telling you that you need help. These are usually problems with the nerves, and a doctor is the only person that is going to be able to you why you are having these types of problems. Googling your symptoms is great, but playing your own doctor can be dangerous and can cause irreversible damage.
8. Repeat use of pain pills. If you find yourself having to take pain pills on a regular basis, then this should be a wake up call. Go see someone! This is not normal, NSAID’s can be great in certain situations, but taken on a regular basis can create their own problems. Pain is the warning sign, take it seriously, and don’t think that it is normal.
9. Rear end auto accidents at low speeds. Just because there is very little property damage, doesn’t mean that there is very little damage to your body. Whiplash accidents are unique, and the damage can show up days, weeks, and months later. Go see a doctor that has specific training and treatment for auto accidents. With these types of injuries, the faster you get treatment, the better off you’ll be.
10. You have seen other health professionals with no relief. Sometimes the person that walks through my door has been to every other doctor imaginable. MRI’s, CAT scans, x rays, blood tests, physical therapy have all been tried and we are sometimes the person last resort. These types of cases are great, because often time the chiropractor can help, and probably should have been the first person to have been seen. Be open to chiropractic manipulative therapy.
There is plenty of evidence indicating the therapeutic benefit, and safety. People get misinformed of what chiropractic really is or how it is performed. You don’t have much to lose to, so keep an open mind. We have the same amount of education as a medical doctor, and we accept insurance, and have very affordable cash rates. Research your local chiropractor, so you know what to expect.
In Health,
Dr. Trent Artichoker MS, DC
Denver Chiropractic, LLC
3890 Federal Blvd Unit 1
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-2225
Dr. Artichoker
Choosing the best Denver chiropractor is like walking into a Baskin Robins. You are faced with many choices, but not all will be congruent with your taste. Fortunately at the ice cream shop, you can sample a taste, but sampling a chiropractor is not so easy. I’m here to help guide your decision making process.
First off, chiropractors in Denver come in many varieties. One main difference is the adjusting technique used by the chiropractor. Some doctors of chiropractic choose to use tools to adjust the spine, such as the activator, the chiropractic adjusting tool, and the pro-adjustor. If you prefer hands on adjusting, there are a variety of those techniques as well. There are literally hundreds of different manual adjusting techniques. The majority of the chiropractors using manual techniques use what is called the Diversified technique. Other techniques can utilize a special table, a table that has specialized sections within the table that raise and drop. A drop table can be beneficial, just like the other techniques.
My preference in guiding a person to a chiropractor, would be to choose a chiropractor that utilizes many techniques. Not all techniques are suited for everyone, so a chiropractor that has a variety of adjusting skills will be able to accommodate your preference, especially if you have never been able to sample the different techniques.
Another high priority consideration in choosing a Denver chiropractor would be to consider any past board complaints. Although, just because a chiropractor has a complaint, it does not mean they did something wrong. You can check to see if a chiropractor in Denver has any complaints at the Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
My third highest consideration is what other treatments does the chiropractor do besides chiropractic manipulative therapy. Chiropractors at a minimum typically obtain a Bachelors degree, and then must do 4 more years of school to become a doctor of chiropractic. In that time frame, we learn and complete national regulated physiotherapy tests. I think additional modalities such as; electrotherapy, moist heat, ultrasound, infrared, cold laser, graston technique, active release technique, trigger point therapy, cross frictional massage, muscle stretching, muscle energy techniqes, myofascial release techniques, core stability techniques, and not physio, but also have some knowledge of nutrition, education of kinesio taping, and athletic taping.
The best chiropractor in Denver will have a little bit of everything is his repotoir. Lets face it, no one person can be everything to all people. Some people need some moist heat or massage before their adjustment in order for them to relax and get a proper alignment. Muscle spasms respond very well to electrotherapy and make the adjust much easier to tolerate. So, pick a chiropractor that does a little of everything.
I must tell you another pet peeve of mine in considering your chiropractor. I’ve been trained to x-ray and image patients when there is clinical evidence supporting the use of exposure to radiation. I image patients when I think an underlying disease process is occurring, or if I think a fracture is present, possibilities of bone anomolies, signs of infection, or if the patient is not responding to treatment. This is not an all inclusive list, but it makes for the point of questioning why an x ray is needed.
Some chiropractic techniques will automatically expose everyone to x rays, no matter who walks through the door. Although well intentioned, they typically recommend lots and lots of adjustments that cost lots and lots of money. Long term contracts are also often used with these techniques, typically into several thousand dollars. I’ve seen some people benefit and others still in pain with no real progress. In my opinion, long term contracts, and excessively lengthy treatment plans are red flags.
Cost and location are should also be considered in your decision making process. I’ve seen chiropractors that charge $100 dollars for an adjustment, and other that hang a box no the wall and suggest making a deposit to the box for what you can afford. Chiropractors that take insurance can also be beneficial. It might be best to pick a chiropractor somewhere in the middle, one that takes insurance, but also has affordable cash plans.
Online reviews can also be helpful, but should not be your only deciding factor. Chiropractors know that reviews are helpful, and can skew the quantity of reviews through campaigns, but the quality and validity of the reviews should be scrutinized.
Specialized additional training could also be factor for your decision, especially if you have been in a car accident in Denver. Auto injuries should always be handled by someone of specializes in the field. A medical doctor or a doctor of chiropractic can really bugger up a case if they not specifically trained to document and treat car crash victims. Getting treatment for an auto accident is different from your typical aches and pains, due to the unique parameters and injury mechanisms of auto collisions.
The same additional training requirements apply to sports injuries, pediatrics, and chiropractic for pregnant women.
Other factors are important, which are internal issue that you address after you visit your Denver chiropractic clinic. This can be from how well you were treated by the support staff, to access to convenient parking. Did the doctor find the cause of your problem? Did they offer a logical solution? Did they take the time to listen to your concerns? Was everyone friendly? Was the adjustment satisfactory? Did they have up to date equipment?
If you live outside of the Denver area, and are having a hard time finding a chiropractor, please feel free to contact me. I have wide network of very qualified chiropractors that I routinely refer patients to.
I wish you luck in your search for a quality chiropractor. Everyone needs a good chiropractor on their sideline. Life is full of bumps and bruises, and we all need to put back together form time to time.
Dr. Trent Artichoker MS, [...]
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 23 (3): 354-362 (2010)
DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2010.03.080252
Original Research
Perceived Benefit of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for Back Pain: A National Survey
Anup K. Kanodia, MD, MPH, Anna T. R. Legedza, ScD, Roger B. Davis, ScD, David M. Eisenberg, MD and Russell S. Phillips, MD
Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center, Boston (AKK, RBD, DME, RSP)
Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston (AKK, RBD, RSP)
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge (ATRL)
Department of Medicine, Osher Clinical Center for Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston (DME), MA
Correspondence: Corresponding author: Anup Kanodia, MD, Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Suite 22-A West, Boston, MA 02215 (E-mail: Anup_Kanodia@hms.harvard.edu)
Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used to treat back pain, but little is known about factors associated with improvement.
Methods: We used data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey to examine the associations between the perceived helpfulness of various CAM therapies for back pain.
Results: Approximately 6% of the US population used CAM to treat their back pain in 2002. Sixty percent of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived a “great deal” of benefit. Using multivariable logistic regression, the factor associated with perceived benefit from CAM modalities was reporting that a reason for using CAM was that “conventional medical treatment would not help” (odds ratio [OR], 1.46; 95% CI, 1.14–1.86). The 2 factors associated with less perceived benefit from CAM modalities were fair to poor self-reported health status (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.41–0.82) and referral by a conventional medical practitioner for CAM (OR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.54–0.92). Using chiropractic as a reference, massage (OR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.46–0.83), relaxation techniques (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.14–0.45), and herbal therapy (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.19–0.46) were all associated with less perceived benefit whereas those with similar perceived benefit included yoga/tai chi/qi gong (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.41–1.22) and acupuncture (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.37–1.38).
Conclusions: The majority of respondents who used CAM for back pain perceived benefit. Specific factors and therapies associated with perceived benefit warrant further investigation
On Februrary 8th, 2010 a survey was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine regarding the management of acute low back pain in general practice to see if low back pain guidelines were being followed. In summary, the care being provided did not match evidence based care. Primarily, too much imaging and incorrect pharmaceuticals used for acute low back pain. The study categorized spinal manipulation under a general therapy catagory, so it is unclear how often GP’s refer for spinal manipulation. The following is the abstract, and full text of the article can be found here.
Low Back Pain and Best Practice Care
A Survey of General Practice Physicians
Christopher M. Williams, MAppSc; Christopher G. Maher, PhD; Mark J. Hancock, PhD; James H. McAuley, PhD; Andrew J. McLachlan, PhD; Helena Britt, PhD; Salma Fahridin, MHSc; Christopher Harrison, MSocHlth; Jane Latimer, PhD
Archives of Internal Medicine 2010;170(3):271-277.
Background Acute low back pain (LBP) is primarily managed in general practice. We aimed to describe the usual care provided by general practitioners (GPs) and to compare this with recommendations of best practice in international evidence-based guidelines for the management of acute LBP.
Methods Care provided in 3533 patient visits to GPs for a new episode of LBP was mapped to key recommendations in treatment guidelines. The proportion of patient encounters in which care arranged by a GP aligned with these key recommendations was determined for the period 2005 through 2008 and separately for the period before the release of the local guideline in 2004 (2001-2004).
Results Although guidelines discourage the use of imaging, over one-quarter of patients were referred for imaging. Guidelines recommend that initial care should focus on advice and simple analgesics, yet only 20.5% and 17.7% of patients received these treatments, respectively. Instead, the analgesics provided were typically nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (37.4%) and opioids (19.6%). This pattern of care was the same in the periods before and after the release of the local guideline.
Conclusions The usual care provided by GPs for LBP does not match the care endorsed in international evidence-based guidelines and may not provide the best outcomes for patients. This situation has not improved over time. The unendorsed care may contribute to the high costs of managing LBP, and some aspects of the care provided carry a higher risk of adverse effects.
A treatment approach analysis was conducted in the management of chronic low back pain and with no surprise, chiropractic treatments were related with reduced likelihood of surgery. The analysis was funded by Eli Lily and Company.
This analysis is very important for people living with chronic low back pain. If you are living with chronic low back pain, it is worth a treatment trial to see if you can benefit from a series of adjustments from a chiropractor. Surgery should always be the last resort with back pain, especially with such evidence.
As a Denver chiropractor, I utilize chiropractic adjustments to the spine and extremities as well as various forms of electrical stimulation, ultrasound, graston technique, musle energy techniques, myofascial release, core stabilization, kinesiotaping, evidence based nutrition counseling, and trigger point therapy.
Below is a copy of the abstract from the American Pain Society.
Real-world use of duloxetine for low back pain: a propensity score analysis of surgery risk
Perform a new search
Year: 2009
Poster #: 240
Title: Real-world use of duloxetine for low back pain: a propensity score analysis of surgery risk
Authors: R Swindle, H Birnbaum, J Ivanova, B Johnstone, M Hsieh, M Schiller, E Kantor;Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN
Classification: Treatment Approaches (Medical/Interventional)
Themes: D04 – Antidepressants
Description:
Low back pain (LBP) treatment often entails step-therapy additions of medications (including antidepressants) and noninvasive therapies to remediate pain, improve functioning, and avoid surgery. We examine the role of duloxetine and other treatments in the likelihood of LBP surgery, adjusting for potential selection bias and confounding. The 211,551 patients, ages 18-64 years, with >1 LBP diagnosis, as specified by HEDIS, were identified from a large administrative insured claims database. Patients had continuous eligibility at least 12 months after their index LBP diagnosis (study period) and >6 months before their index diagnosis (baseline period) and no other LBP diagnosis during the baseline period. 4,331 patients (2.05%) had back surgery, and 3,756 (1.78%) patients received duloxetine, after their index LBP diagnosis. Logistic regression was used to develop a propensity score predicting study period duloxetine use using: demographics; baseline comorbidities; resource use; medication use; and direct costs. Patients receiving duloxetine were matched to LBP patients untreated with duloxetine based on propensity score and key confounders (e.g., baseline depression, baseline opioid use). Logistic regressions were conducted to assess the impact of study period treatments on back surgery risk for the full matched sample and the non-depressed subsample. We propensity matched 2,521 duloxetine patients to controls. In general, duloxetine was the last of all treatments (including opiates) initiated prior to surgery. Likelihood of surgery was significantly increased for patients with chronic LBP (<3 months) and severe LBP diagnoses. Three treatments significantly reduced the likelihood of surgery: NSAIDs, chiropractic therapy, and duloxetine. No other antidepressants, anxiolytics, narcotics, relaxants, anti-epileptics, or corticosteroids predicted surgery. Results for treatments were the same in the non-depressed subsample. Duloxetine, NSAIDs, and chiropractic treatments were associated with reduced likelihood of LBP surgery. (Research funding provided by Eli Lilly and Company.)
To Your Health,
Dr. Trent Artichoker MS, DC
Denver Chiropractic, LLC
3890 Federal Blvd Unit 1
Denver, CO 80211
303-455-2225
