Size of Carrolltown Disc Herniation in Canal Is Not That Important

Disc herniations abound! 76% of us have one. (1) Do 76% of us have back pain right now? Thankfully, no! The presence of a disc herniation on imaging is not the important issue. The concern is whether that disc is producing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation determines this in the course of the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are tools that can assist - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient let it. So let’s not let it! 

PERCENT OF SPINAL CANAL A DISC TAKES UP DOESN’T MATTER

Some imaging studies or MRI images will illustrate huge discs in back pain sufferers who have not a lot of or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in awful pain may show a minimal disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Fortunately, research maintains that size isn’t everything. A study documented that there was no correlation of pain and disability with the size of a disc herniation seen on MRI. (2) Another study of 368 patients who had a lumbar disc herniation said that 91.3% of them did not have back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs took up 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-operative patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That’s not much of a difference. Researchers report that this does not predict which patients will fail nonsurgical treatment and require surgery within 2 years after undergoing a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) In light of these findings, Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Carrolltown chiropractor is the Carrolltown back pain specialist. Painful disc herniations are welcome at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations large and small respond nicely to conservative treatment. Actually, in following up with patients who underwent conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases showed a reduction in the size of the disc. (4) Two years after conservative care, herniated disc patients showed a 16.5% decrease in size. 57% of patients had a reduction, 40% demonstrated no change in size, and 3% had a larger herniation. (5) More specifically, conservative treatment of the disc herniation with flexion distraction Cox® Technic delivered increases in the dimensions of the spinal canal by as much as 28% in area, 17% in height and 7% in width. (6) Carrolltown back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. George Joachim on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. Dr. Joachim presents the case of a patient with a disc herniation preoducing spinal stenosis that created considerable pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was enhanced with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Carrolltown chiropractic appointment today. Regardless of its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation.