Tests – what are they good for?
When it comes to back pain tests, of
MRIs that question must be asked. What are MRIs good
for when the proportion
of helpful, influential MRI studies is so small?
False positive MRI results distress those who get
such results. They arouse fear or caution where it’s not always needed. MRIs like this blur the
proper treatment plan. They spend a lot of money.
Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc carefully evaluates the need for
MRI in the Fort Wayne chiropractic treatment plan of Fort Wayne
back pain relief.
MEDICINE’S VIEW
MRI interpretations by
radiologists often differ.
The true-positive finding rate was 56.4%, and the miss-rate was 43.6%. (1)
MRI imaging may produce misleading suspicion. When
following the guidelines of the American College of Radiology, 93% of lumbar
spine MRIs were proper. Of those, only 13% revealed
anything that needed to be addressed. Of the 36 MRIs that roused
suspicion of cancer or infection, 81% were false-positive. 59% of the follow-up
MRIs on those suspicious findings were false positives. (2) MRI imaging may misinform.
For example, MRI demonstrates that the presence of
disc degeneration in asymptomatic persons – persons with no back pain – rises
with age: 37% in 20 year olds and 96% in
80 year olds; disc bulges: 30% to 84%; disc protrusion: 29% to 43%; annular
fissures 19% to 29%. These imaging findings imply that
these are signs of normal aging. They remind all doctors, remind chiropractors
like yours at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc, to link all such
findings to patient symptoms. (1,3) Your Fort Wayne
chiropractor does this!
CHIROPRACTIC’S VIEW
Choosing Wisely guidelines for American chiropractors suggest30
not repeating spinal imaging and not getting spinal imaging for
patients with acute low back pain in the first 6 weeks of back pain (except when “red flags” are present– issues that indicate
something more worrisome). (4) A review of the efficacy
of the Canadian Choosing Wisely recommendations for imaging nonspecific spinal
pain and symptoms reported that there is very low risk of missing
a serious cause of back pain. (5) The goal
of guidelines is less imaging, fewer false positives. Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc wants what’s
best for our Fort Wayne chiropractic care patients.
COX® TECHNIC’S VIEW
Chiropractors like yours at Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc study
all the symptoms, tests and images our Fort Wayne chiropractic back
pain patients [[present on|bring with them39] their first Fort Wayne
chiropractic visit. So many back pain patients come to
Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc with MRI images already with them.
Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc will study them but will depend more
on clinical exam findings and correlate them to what the MRI shows.
A rule of thumb with the Cox Technic System of Back Pain Relief is to seek 50% reduction of back pain in the first 30 days
of care before arranging additional imaging or
testing or referring for surgical consultation. (6)
CONTACT Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Dan Clark on the Back Doctor’s Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes imaging for back pain in the scheme of treatment
for pain relief.
Schedule your Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment
with Cox Chiropractic Medicine Inc today. Let us explore together
the best path to Fort Wayne back pain relief – with or without MRI
imaging!
"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."