Size of Sandy Springs Disc Herniation in Canal Isnt That Important

Disc herniations abound! 76% of us have one. (1) Do 76% of us have back pain right now? Thankfully, no! The presence of a disc herniation on imaging isn’t the chief issue. The matter is whether that disc is producing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Cross Chiropractic Center figures this out during the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are tools that can assist - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient allow it. So let’s not let it! 

PERCENT OF SPINAL CANAL A DISC OCCUPIES DOESN’T MATTER

Some imaging studies or MRI images will show very large discs in back pain sufferers who have little or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in excruciating pain may have a small disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Fortunately, 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 seen on MRI. (2) Another study of 368 patients who had a lumbar disc herniation reported that 91.3% of them did not undergo back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs took up 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-operative patients’ discs occupied 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 undergoing a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) In light of these findings, Cross Chiropractic Center uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Sandy Springs chiropractor is the Sandy Springs back pain specialist. Disc herniations causing pain are accepted at Cross Chiropractic Center as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations large and small react well to conservative treatment. Actually, in following up with patients who had conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases revealed 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 showed 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 produced increases in the dimensions of the spinal canal by as much as 28% in area, 17% in height and 7% in width. (6) Sandy Springs back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Cross Chiropractic Center

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 considerable pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was improved with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Sandy Springs chiropractic appointment today. No matter its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Cross Chiropractic Center.