Fort Wayne Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care

Studying the cervical spine of neck pain patients who have MRIs noting some changes in the spine can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc always views imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal examination. Fort Wayne neck pain with imaging-revealed changes in the cervical spine will get a treatment plan based on both imaging (if/when available) and clinical exam findings.

MRI is an amazing technology. It is used commonly to evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. When spine pain continues without relief while undergoing care for an extended period of time, having imaging done is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be linked with the clinical symptomatology found in the clinical exam to direct the care for optimal relief. Modic Changes – vertebral bone endplate and bone marrow changes - are commonly noted when radiologists review the MRI and classify the level of disc degeneration with level 1 being the least degenerated and level 3 being the most degenerated. More lumbar spine studies have been performed to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are scarcer. A review of 14 research studies about the link between neck pain and/or cervical spine disc degeneration to MRI-revealed Modic changes described that cervical spine Modic changes were present in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs revealed Modic changes stated more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, an MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients stated that no system of classification of cervical disc degeneration showed any relationship to clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did explain that vertebral endplate changes may be connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Chiropractic care can help pain due to disc degeneration and vertebral changes.

TREATMENT PLANNING 

When it comes to chiropractic treatment of patients with MRI imaging showing Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have been challenged to correlate effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies currently published about the treatment of Modic change related back pain, in this review it was low back pain, found that spinal manipulation was proposed as an option. The review listed insufficient support for medication use and rigid lumbar brace wearing, antibiotics’ use as controversial, and low evidence for exercise therapy to decrease pain intensity. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One treatment your Fort Wayne chiropractor competently and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief manytimes before and/or despite imaging. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc keeps doing what works for our patients.

CONTACT Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with cervical spine disc degeneration and herniation that allowed him to avoid spine surgery.

Make your next Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment with Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc. MRIs and Modic changes won’t confuse your chiropractor when it comes to establishing a neck pain relieving treatment plan for your cervical spine issues.