Size of Carrolltown Disc Herniation in Canal Isnt That Important
Disc herniations abound! 76% of us have one. (1) Do all 76% have back pain right now? Thankfully, no! The presence of a disc herniation on imaging is not the important issue. The issue is whether that disc is causing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation figures this out during the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are extras that can help - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient allow it. So let’s not allow 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 excruciating pain may have a small disc herniation. It can be upsetting. Luckily, 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 diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation reported that 91.3% of them did not undergo back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs occupied 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-operative patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That is not much of a difference. Researchers report that this does not predict which patients will fail nonsurgical treatment and need 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. Disc herniations causing pain are welcome at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation as the spinal research shows that, though painful, disc herniations big and little react nicely to conservative treatment. Actually, in following up with patients who underwent conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases revealed a reduction in the size of the herniation. (4) Two years after conservative care, herniated disc patients showed a 16.5% decrease in size. 57% of patients showed a reduction, 40% demonstrated no change in size, and 3% had a bigger herniation. (5) More specifically, conservative treatment of the disc herniation with flexion distraction Cox® Technic delivered increases in the measurements 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 shares the case of a patient with a disc herniation resulting in spinal stenosis that generated significant pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was improved with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Carrolltown chiropractic appointment today. No matter its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation.
