Disclaimer: While we believe being your own advocate ultimately helps your healing journey and your doctor’s diagnosis, we do not advocate relying on your own research to confirm a diagnosis. We are not held responsible for any misdiagnosis done by yourself as it pertains to your own research. In order to get a full diagnosis and rehabilitation plan, we recommend you taking your findings to your doctor.
When was the last time you googled a health issue you were having? Most likely, it was rather recently! According to Pew Research, 1 in 3 Americans have turned to Dr. Google to diagnose themselves. This not only saves on copays and trips to the doctor’s office, but it also helps a person be their own advocate once they do decide they need to visit the doctor.
Doctors are busy people and see multiple cases a day. They actually rely on you, the patient, to be clear and concise about your condition so that they can prescribe the best solution for you. Researching your own conditions before you enter the office can give you vital information about your ailment. For example, you may just know that your knee or back is “in pain” but after your research, you have gained knowledge of better and more articulate phrases to describe that pain. Perhaps you realized, instead of simply “pain in the back”, you began describing it as “sharp, stabbing pain in the lower back, that gets worse when bending over.” It’s not that you didn’t know this before, but you didn’t think of the importance of putting it into words.
Researching your own medical condition (when done responsibly) can have great benefits for both you as well as your doctor. Take a look at this statistics from Pew Research:
- 41% of online diagnosers say a medical professional confirmed their diagnosis. An additional 2% say a medical professional partially confirmed it.
This means that when a person researched and understood their own condition, almost half were confirmed by a medical professional. Researching your own condition does not mean that you think you know more than your doctor, but it gives you empowerment to know when to go into the office, as well as give your doctor the best information you can regarding your condition. This will usually result in a better diagnosis and overall healing journey for you.
Prescription Braces
We are big proponents for patients bringing their own research and findings to their doctors. Why? Because we believe every patient is unique and every ailment deserves a customized solution. This is where we come in.
Our braces not only have a proprietary knitting technology that is lightweight, comfortable and wont move when you do, but we also excel in advanced custom fabrication. All of our braces fit like a glove, and your body will be no exception. Every brace is designed with comfort in mind so that you don’t have to give up your life, your hobbies, and your lifestyle while you are healing. In addition, our hinge technology sets us apart in the market. Don’t believe us? Check out these statistics for the Rebel Reliever, one of our top selling braces for OA knee support:
- In clinical research, and in real life, the Rebel Reliever is proven to achieve substantial mechanical offloading, reduce pain, and increase patient activity.
- Medical professionals have trusted the Rebel Reliever to reduce pain and improve mobility for over 250,000 of their patients.
Or, what about these statistics for the Sleeq, a top-selling brace for back injury or chronic back pain? Spinal orthoses such as the Sleeq have been shown to:
- Improve functional status for the patient,
- A decrease in pain level,
- Increase of trunk muscle strength and posture while reducing pharmacologic consumption
Our braces have been proven time and time again to decrease pain, improve rehabilitation, and allow our patients to maintain their quality of life while they rehabilitate. We offer braces for almost every part of your body, and while our braces are prescription based, you can use your own research to be your own advocate and ask your doctor to prescribe one of our braces! Take a look at our inventory by clicking on “Our Products” to try and find your best bracing solution! We are honored to be a part of your healing journey.
