Chiropractic Relieves Disc Herniation Related Pain Often Without MRI
MRIs are cool. They show some amazing images of the body. Chiropractors like looking at spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is your Sitka chiropractor’s realm! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka appreciates the MRI image study for what it is: a tool. But MRIs are not always a clinical necessity. Can MRI help decide whether a surgical or non-surgical approach is appropriate for back pain relief? Read on for the latest findings.
The Usefulness of MRI
When a Sitka patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain symptoms indicate the need for an MRI, Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka arranges one for such a Sitka back pain patient. MRI may supplement your Sitka chiropractor’s clinical perception of the condition oftentimes (but not always!). Pre-treatment and post-MRI images are intriguing. Did the disc herniation reduce now that the pain disappeared? Sitka chiropractic patients will often ask that of Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka. And researchers will study MRIs for their research studies on just such a question.
The Curiosity of MRI
Researchers aren’t the only ones who curiously study MRI images of low back pain sufferers to check if there is any correlation between pain and no pain and the MRI pre and post treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka is well aware that our Sitka back pain patients wonder!
Knowing that doctors and patients dealing with back pain like MRIs, some researchers set out to determine if MRI is of value in determining how treatment outcomes will be for patients with sciatic leg pain due to a herniated lumbar disc. They questioned if MRI could help decide whether to do back surgery now or stay the course with conservative care. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka and the Sitka chiropractic low back pain patients we care for would love such a simple indicator! Study participants were randomly sent to surgical care or a course of prolonged conservative care. Two findings – a disc extrusion and nerve root compression on MRI in patients with less severe leg pain – suggested a satisfactory outcome with either type of care. Another interesting finding: the size of the disc herniation at the beginning of caredid not affect the outcome. The two groups revealed significant difference in outcomes between them – surgical and conservative. (1) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka reads similar reports increasingly in the back pain research. Remember the Atlas studies of surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There wasn’t much difference in those classic studies either: 50% vs. 53% non-surgical versus surgical for back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% vs. 61% surgical versus non-surgical for sciatica (3).
Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka encourages you to make a Sitka chiropractic appointment today. Trust Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka to provide evidence-based chiropractic care that alleviates your spine pain many times without an MRI. Together, we can create a non-surgical (and even potentially non-MRI!) treatment plan to reduce your back pain.
Schedule your Sitka chiropractic appointment today.
