Both adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment assist people with certain medical conditions in their lives. However, while they may seem similar, with how they both make life easier, they are not the same thing. Durable medical equipment can be covered by insurance, while this may not be the case for adaptive equipment.

Here is what you need to know about the difference between adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment to help you navigate what you need to make life safer and more accessible. This can also help you understand why insurance usually covers durable medical equipment but may not cover adaptive equipment.

What Is The Difference Between Adaptive Equipment And Durable Medical Equipment?

Both adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment make it easier to function with an injury, disability, or medical condition. Adaptive equipment makes life in general easier, while durable medical equipment is prescribed by your doctor to help you manage your condition.

This can be a bit confusing for those new to the world of assistive devices. After all, both types of equipment are meant to simplify caregiving and increase safety and accessibility. We’ll go more in-depth into the difference between adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment below.

What Is Adaptive Equipment?

Adaptive equipment is essentially any type of device or tool that can make life easier for those with hearing, visual, or mobility impairments. You can consult with a medical professional in order to determine the best types of adaptive equipment for yourself or a loved one. There are different types of adaptive equipment for all over the home.

Some common types of adaptive equipment include:

Stairlifts
Toilet seat risers
Bathroom grab bars
Walk-in bathtubs
Adjustable beds
Button loopers
Medicine organizers
Appliances with automatic shut-off capabilities
Pull-down kitchen shelves
Screen readers
Hearing aids
Doorbell signalers
And much more

With how many different types of adaptive equipment there are, it’s likely you will be able to find something that works for you or your loved one. If you cannot, your doctor likely will be able to help you.

What Is Durable Medical Equipment?

Durable medical equipment is prescribed by your doctor that is medically necessary for your condition. It includes medical supplies and devices that can be used repeatedly.

In order for something to qualify as durable medical equipment, it must be:

Durable (able to be used repeatedly).
Used for a medical reason.
Be prescribed by/ordered by a medical provider.
Be used in the home.
Be useful to those with a disability, injury, or medical condition.
Have a lifespan of 3 or more years.

Some examples of durable medical equipment include:

Wheelchairs
Canes
Crutches
Blood sugar meters
Blood sugar test strips
Prosthetic equipment
Oxygen equipment and accessories
Traction equipment
Kidney machines
Hospital beds
And more

Why Is It Important To Know The Difference Between Adaptive Equipment And Durable Medical Equipment?

It comes down to insurance coverage. While both adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment help people with injuries, disabilities, or medical conditions, insurance coverage varies.

Most insurance plans will cover all or most of the costs associated with durable medical equipment. Depending on the plan, there may be restrictions associated with this. For instance, some plans may only cover durable medical equipment from certain brands. Other plans may only pay for your durable medical equipment after you have met your deductible. If you want to know what your insurance coverage is like, you will need to contact your insurance and discuss it with them.

Adaptive equipment may help improve one’s life, but it typically is not categorized as medically necessary. As such, many insurance plans do not cover adaptive equipment. This may be confusing or frustrating to some people, especially when it comes to assistive devices like hearing aids. Adaptive equipment like hearing aids are considered elective devices and not medically necessary, hence why they are not typically covered.

Life Health Medical Center Salt Lake City Durable Medical Equipment

What Do You Do If You Need Durable Medical Equipment?

As you can see, it is important to know the difference between adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment for insurance coverage purposes.

If you need adaptive equipment or durable medical equipment, you can talk to your doctor and they will help you. If you need durable medical equipment, your doctor will need to prescribe or order it.

Life Health Medical Center provides durable medical equipment, such as custom braces, TENS units, and cervical traction units. To learn more about how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us and schedule an appointment today!

Chronic pain can seriously interfere with your life. Not only do you experience the physical symptoms from your condition, but many people also experience complications in other areas of their life. Chronic pain can lead to depression, anxiety, financial instability, and more. Since chronic issues can be so complex, it can be challenging to find a treatment method that helps manage your pain.

Functional medicine helps with chronic pain by seeking to address the underlying cause of the pain, rather than just the symptoms of it. Here’s what you need to know about chronic pain and how the functional medicine approach treats it.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. It can either come or go or it can be persistent. You can experience it anywhere in your body.

When most people think of pain, they think of acute pain. This is the pain from an injury that goes away as the injury heals. If the pain does not go away, it can become chronic.

Sometimes, people can suffer from chronic pain even if they have not been injured or ill. This is called psychosomatic pain, which can result from stress and other issues, without a physical medical explanation.

What Are Common Types Of Chronic Pain?

While chronic pain can manifest all over your body in many different ways, some types of chronic pain are more commonly seen than others. These include:

Headaches and migraines
Back pain
Fibromyalgia
Arthritis
Neurogenic pain
Pain in scar tissue
And much more.

People can experience multiple types of chronic pain simultaneously, such as migraines and arthritis or more than one illness.

What Is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a type of medical approach centered on the patient. The goal of functional medicine isn’t just to figure out where you are experiencing pain and provide you with treatment for your symptoms. It is to uncover the underlying cause of your pain.

Functional medicine takes the entire picture into account. You will spend more time with a functional medicine doctor than you would with a traditional doctor because they will ask you about your health history, your specific health concerns, what your lifestyle is like, and more. Depending on the person, your symptoms could be caused by something very different than similar symptoms in someone else.

When you see a functional medicine doctor, they will personalize your treatment plan to you. They look at things like your stress levels, your sleep, your activity levels, and your nutrition. With lifestyle and behavioral interventions, you can address the root cause of your issues and find relief. For instance, if your diet is full of inflammatory foods, this could be the root of many different health issues.

Functional medicine can be used in conjunction with traditional medicine. The goal of any doctor is to help you feel better. They will recommend treatments designed to help you and refer you to other specialists who may be able to help.

How Does Functional Medicine Help With Chronic Pain?

Functional medicine is effective for treating many different health concerns, from arthritis to hormone imbalances to thyroid disorders and more. It also works for treating chronic pain.

Functional medicine may not be something that you associate with pain management. With its focus on lifestyle and behavioral aspects, you may assume that if you’re in pain, this is not the type of medical practice you can benefit from. You may think that painkillers and surgeries are your best shot.

Depending on your specific pain, the ideal treatment method varies. For some people, traditional medicine helps them immensely. For others, functional medicine or a combination or traditional medicine and functional medicine gives them the relief and ability to manage the symptoms that they need.

Personalized Care

As we just mentioned, depending on you, the ideal treatment varies. This is one of the best parts about functional medicine. The goal isn’t just to understand what the issue you, give you recommendations, and send you on your way. It’s to truly understand what you’re feeling and what could be contributing to it.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to chronic pain generally, and definitely not when it comes to functional medicine. Your doctors will take the time to truly get to know you, your concerns, and any factors in your life that could be worsening your pain. They will recommend a treatment plan specific to you.

This includes taking your wants and needs into account. For instance, a little movement each day can help with pain management, but if your doctor recommends that you do a type of movement you don’t like, it will be much harder to see your treatment plan through. They will ensure that your treatment plan suits you and is realistic for your preferences and needs.

Collaboration

If something doesn’t work, you should feel free to mention it to any doctor, but especially a functional medicine doctor. The most important part of chronic pain management is that your treatment is working for you. Your doctor won’t just tell you to do or take something, but they will listen to your input and collaborate with you in order to ensure that your health plan suits you.

Your doctor will use all the latest research and their clinical experience in order to take your input into account and then come up with alternatives that center your health and well-being. They’ll seek to uncover what your health goals are, and then look at details like your nutrition, your sleep schedule, your environment, and more, to see what could be adjusted in order to help you.

For instance, if you aren’t moving much, and movement could help your pain, your doctor won’t just tell you to go on a 30-minute walk. They’ll ask what types of activities you enjoy, to make incorporating this part of pain management easier and more enjoyable for you.

Functional Medicine Treatment For Chronic Pain

Life Health Medical Center is here to help you manage your chronic pain. Contact us today to schedule an appointment, and let’s work together to alleviate your pain and make life more enjoyable.

If you’ve suffered from damaged tissue in your joints or spine, your doctor may recommend amniotic allograft injections. While joint injections are well enough known, amniotic allograft injections are another story. You may be wondering what they even are, what they’re made of, if they’re ethical, and how they can help you.

Here’s what you need to know about some of the most common questions patients have about amniotic allograft injections.

amniotic allograft injections salt lake city utah

What Are Amniotic Allograft Injections?

Amniotic allograft injections are a type of joint injection made from amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid comes from placentas. Its purpose in the placenta is to protect and nourish a growing fetus with proteins, growth factors, and other vital nutrients.

When used in injections, the amniotic fluid helps to repair, supplement, lubricate, and replace homologous tissue. This helps people to recover from many different joint injuries and conditions.

Are Amniotic Allograft Injections Ethical?

When you hear that amniotic allografts come from placentas, you may be alarmed, worried about how the fluid is obtained, and if this treatment is even ethical.

Rest assured, this is an ethical treatment method. Amniotic fluid does not come from a fetus – it comes from the placenta. When people give birth, the placenta detaches from the uterine wall and is usually delivered within an hour after childbirth. Since the placenta already comes out during childbirth, taking amniotic fluid from it does no harm to either the mother or the fetus.

Amniotic allograft injections are made from the placentas of consenting, healthy women who have undergone cesarean delivery and wish to donate their placenta that would otherwise be discarded. Careful medical and social history research is done in order to ensure that donors meet all requirements, including blood tests to screen for any communicable diseases.

Are Amniotic Allograft Injections Safe?

Yes, amniotic allograft is safe to use. This is because the mother who wishes to donate her placenta undergoes blood tests and a medical and social history check to ensure that she is a good donor. After the placenta has been donated, comprehensive tests are done on the amniotic fluid for any potential pathogens.

The fluid is processed according to standards set by the FDA (US Food And Drug Administration) and AATB (American Association of Tissue Banks).

Why Is Amniotic Fluid Used To Treat Injuries?

Amniotic fluid is used to treat injuries because it has natural growth factors and nutrients to encourage healing. These include collagen, protein, hyaluronic acid, anti-inflammatory properties, and over 200 growth factors.

This helps to reduce inflammation and scarring, support tissue regeneration, and decrease pain, with decreased risk of inflammatory responses. Since amniotic fluid is natural, when used in injections, it is non-steroidal.

What Can Amniotic Allograft Injections Treat?

Since amniotic fluid enhances your body’s natural healing abilities, it’s used to treat many different conditions, especially orthopedic conditions, like joint problems.

Some common conditions that amniotic allograft injections treat include:

Torn ligaments
Arthritis
Damaged tendons
Cartilage injuries
Bursitis
Chronic pain
Inflammation
Carpal tunnel
Rotator cuff pain
Ankle pain
Knee pain
Back pain
Neck pain
And more

What Are The Benefits Of Amniotic Fluid Injections?

These injections help your body to heal itself after injury. This is because they have lubricating properties that allow for easier movement, as well as anti-microbial properties that help to prevent infection. They create an oxygen-rich environment that promotes cellular regeneration.

This a safe treatment method with minimal risk of adverse reactions. It is done in-office, with no need for downtime or any aids, such as crutches.

Life Health Medical Center provides amniotic allograft injections. If you have any questions about this treatment, please don’t hesitate to either contact us or schedule an appointment.

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