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What is a diagnosis?

Apr 17, 2023
Happy patient with sciatica and lower back pain of Experts at Iowa Chiropractic Clinic & Sports Injuries in Altoona, Ankeny,
Accurate diagnosis ensures the best outcomes for your condition and symptoms. Not all diagnosis skills are created equal, just like not all doctors are created equal.

An accurate diagnosis is vital to getting the most appropriate treatment and treatment plans. Accurate diagnosis ensures the best outcomes for your condition and symptoms. Not all diagnosis skills are created equal, just like not all doctors are created equal. Diagnosis is a clinical skill that must be mastered and applied skillfully to make the correct treatment prescriptions and excellent outcomes. If you are not told what your diagnosis is, you should have a total reservation on any treatment recommendations provided by
your provider. A diagnosis is a clinical prediction. The British Medical Journal has defined a clinical prediction as three or more features from one’s history, physical examination, or simple ancillary tests that predict a particular condition. A clinical prediction is fundamentally a specific combination of features that, when present together, correlate strongly with a particular diagnosis. This is what is called a “clinical signature.” One place to begin in solving diagnosis is using the simple prevalence variable. For example, what are the three primary sources of lower back pain, and which are the most common? Disc pain is 40%, Facet joint pain is 30%, and Sacroiliac pain is 22.5%. This variable can be combined with three or more specific clinical features to increase the probability of an accurate diagnosis.

At Iowa Chiropractic Clinic & Sports Injuries, located in Ankeny, Grimes, and Altoona, Iowa, we specialize in neuromusculoskeletal medicine and chiropractic orthopedics, and our doctors have exceptional diagnostic skills.   Our highly trained team of chiropractors begins all recommendations for care and treatment with a proper diagnosis to ensure you get the results you are at Iowa Chiropractic Clinic & Sports Injuries to achieve.