MRIs are cool.
MRIs display impressive pictures of the body. Chiropractors appreciate spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is where chiropractors like
your Sitka chiropractor live day in and day out. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka values
the MRI image study for what it is: a a piece of the diagnostic puzzle.
But MRIs are not always a clinical necessity. Can MRI help determine whether to use non-surgical care or
surgical care for back pain relief? Read on for the most recent
news.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
Sitka patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms signal the demand for an MRI,
Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka requests one for such a Sitka
back pain patient. MRI may add to 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 left? Sitka
chiropractic patients will often ask that of Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka. And researchers
will examine MRIs for their research studies on just such
a query.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers are
not the only ones who curiously look at
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to check if there is any connection
between pain and no pain and the MRI at the beginning
and end of treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka knows our Sitka back pain patients wonder!
In noticing
that doctors and patients dealing with back pain like MRIs, a group of
researchers planned to determine the value of MRI in predicting treatment
outcomes in patients with sciatic
leg pain due to a herniated lumbar disc. They speculated whether 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 treat would
love such a simple indicator! Study participants were
randomized to surgery or 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 care didn’t 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. Recall the Atlas studies of
surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There wasn’t much variation in those landmark
studies either: 50% vs. 53% non-surgical vs. 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
invites you to make a Sitka chiropractic
appointment today. Trust Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka to provide evidence-based chiropractic
care that relieves your spine pain many times without an MRI. Together,
we can set a non-surgical (and even potentially non-MRI!)
treatment plan to reduce your back pain.
Schedule your
Sitka chiropractic appointment now.
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."