MRIs are cool.
MRIs display pretty pictures of the body. Chiropractors like
looking at spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is where chiropractors like
your Colorado Springs chiropractor live day in and day out. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR values
the MRI image study for what it is: a a piece of the diagnostic puzzle.
But MRIs are not always clinically necessary. Can MRI help decide whether a
surgical or non-surgical approach is appropriate for back pain relief? Read on for the most recent
findings.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
Colorado Springs patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms signal the need for an MRI,
The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR requests one for such a Colorado Springs
back pain patient. MRI may supplement your
Colorado Springs chiropractor’s clinical knowledge
of the condition oftentimes (but not always!). Pre-treatment and post-MRI images
are intriguing. Did the disc herniation shrink
now that the pain is gone? Colorado Springs
chiropractic patients will often ask that of The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR. And researchers
will consider MRIs for their research studies on just such
a query.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers are
not the only ones who curiously examine
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to check if there is any connection
between pain and no pain and the MRI at the beginning
and end of treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR is
well aware that our Colorado Springs back pain patients wonder!
Knowing
that doctors and patients find MRI images a
curiosity when there is back pain and leg pain, some
researchers set out to determine the value of MRI in predicting treatment
outcomes in patients with sciatic
leg pain due to a herniated lumbar disc. They questioned
if MRI could help determine whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR and the
Colorado Springs chiropractic low back pain patients we care for would
love such a simple indicator! Study participants were
randomized to surgery or prolonged conservative care. Two findings – a disc
extrusion and nerve root compression on MRI in patients with less severe leg
pain – suggested a satisfactory outcome with either form
of care. Another interesting finding: the size of the disc herniation at the
beginning of caredid not affect the outcome. There
was no significant difference in outcomes between them
– surgical and conservative. (1) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR sees similar
reports increasingly in the back pain research. Remember the Atlas studies of
surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There wasn’t much variation in those classic
studies either: 50% versus 53% non-surgical vs. surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% versus 61% surgical vs. non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
encourages you to make a Colorado Springs chiropractic
appointment today. Trust The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR to provide evidence-based chiropractic
care that relieves your spine pain many times without an MRI. Together,
we can create a non-surgical (and even potentially non-MRI!)
treatment plan to alleviate your back pain.
Schedule your
Colorado Springs chiropractic appointment today.
"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."