Size of Fort Wayne Disc Herniation in Canal Is Not That Important

76% of us has a disc herniation. (1) Do all 76% have back pain right now? Nope! Thank goodness! The presence of a disc herniation on imaging is not the important issue. The issue is whether that disc is producing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc determines this 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 let 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 show 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 show a minimal disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Luckily, research maintains that size is not everything. A study documented that there was no correlation of pain and disability with the size of a disc herniation found on MRI. (2) Another study of 368 patients who had a lumbar disc herniation stated 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-surgical patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That is not much of a difference. Researchers wrote that this doesn’t predict which patients will fail nonoperative treatment and need surgery within 2 years after getting a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) With knowledge of these findings, Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc chooses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Fort Wayne chiropractor is the Fort Wayne back pain specialist. Painful disc herniations are welcome at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations big and small respond nicely to conservative treatment. As a matter of fact, in following up with patients who chose conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases showed a decrease in the size of the herniation. (4) Two years after conservative care, herniated disc patients had a 16.5% decrease in size. 57% of patients had a reduction, 40% demonstrated no change in size, and 3% showed a bigger herniation. (5) Particularly, 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) Fort Wayne back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc

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 resulting in spinal stenosis that generated significant pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was enhanced with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment today. No matter its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc.