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St. Luke’s is adding chiropractic care to its innovative comprehensive back and spine program.

“We already have an established comprehensive spine center that offers effective treatment for back pain. St. Luke’s Chiropractic Care will provide another modality to complement current therapies,” said Dr. Aldo Carmona, St. Luke’s senior vice president for clinical integration.

Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions for which patients seek care in the Network, noted Carmona, who also serves as chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care.

“Each year, there are tens of thousands of patient visits for lower back pain, through either a primary care physician, physical therapy, emergency rooms or urgent care centers, or through other clinicians,” he said. “Our new doctors of chiropractic will be joining our doctors of physical therapy in offering timely, effective care of musculoskeletal conditions.”

Opening this month is the new office, at 3101 Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem, of Paul Duffy, DC.  Duffy has more than 30 years of experience in private practice and through affiliation with local health systems.

Beginning in April, a second chiropractic location will be led by Sam Staula, DC, and Kristen Staula, DC, after they relocate to the Lehigh Valley from Beth Israel Deaconess in Plymouth, Mass. Their office will be located at 701 Ostrum Street in Bethlehem.

Duffy said the new service line will provide a “safe, conservative, evidence-based solution to many musculoskeletal complaints while enhancing the already stellar lines of physical therapy and rehab, pain management and orthopedics. Chiropractic provides safe, effective care that has been shown to reduce chronicity of symptoms, dependency on opioid medications, as well as overall healthcare expenditures.”

In his decades of experience, Duffy said he has treated all types of patients, from young, active athletes to more sedentary seniors who just want to maintain an active lifestyle.

Both Kristen and Sam Staula spent the last decade expanding a broad chiropractic service line within the Beth Israel Deaconess health care network, which is affiliated with Harvard teaching hospitals. “As we learned more and more about St. Luke’s, we were inspired by the focus on high-quality patient care, and by all the people we met through the process,” Sam Staula said. “They really presented a cohesive, competent, kind and caring approach, with everyone on the same page.”

Added Kristen Staula: “What is inspiring is that we all share the same goal: patient-centered care. When all the care is coordinated, that’s when you have the best outcomes. The patients are happier, they feel listened to. St. Luke’s already has a great teamwork approach and we’re excited to be a part of that.”

An additional benefit, Sam Staula said, is the variety of patients who will be seen within the Network, which spans urban, suburban and rural locations. “That’s what makes a true multidisciplinary setting so satisfying. You see a breadth of new cases on a daily basis, and it presents a great opportunity to take what we’ve grown here and help incorporate that into one of the nation’s premiere teaching hospitals.”