MRIs are fascinating.
MRIs display pretty pictures of the body. Chiropractors appreciate spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is where chiropractors like
your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor live day in and day out. Spinal Care Clinic 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 to use non-surgical care or
surgical care for back pain relief? Read on for the most recent
news.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
Burlington and Hamilton patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms indicate the need for an MRI,
Spinal Care Clinic arranges one for such a Burlington and Hamilton
back pain patient. MRI may enhance your
Burlington and Hamilton 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 left? Burlington and Hamilton
chiropractic patients will often ask that of Spinal Care Clinic. And researchers
will examine MRIs for their research studies on just such
a query.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers are
not the only ones who curiously look at
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to see if there is any correlation
between pain and no pain and the MRI pre and post treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. Spinal Care Clinic knows our Burlington and Hamilton back pain patients wonder!
Knowing
that doctors and patients find MRI images a
curiosity when there is back pain and leg pain, some
researchers planned to determine the value of MRI in predicting treatment
outcomes in patients who had a herniated lumbar disc with sciatica. They speculated whether MRI could help determine whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. Spinal Care Clinic and the
Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic low back pain patients we treat would
love such a simple guide! Study participants were randomly
sent to surgical care or a course of 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 type
of care. Another noteworthy finding: the size of the disc herniation at the
beginning of care didn’t affect the outcome. There
was no significant difference in outcomes between them
– surgical and conservative. (1) Spinal Care Clinic sees similar
reports more and more in the back pain research. Recall 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% vs. 53% non-surgical versus surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% versus 61% surgical versus non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
Spinal Care Clinic
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
Spinal Care Clinic
invites you to make a Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic
appointment today. Trust Spinal Care Clinic to provide evidence-based chiropractic
care that relieves your spine pain many times without an MRI. Together,
we can set a non-surgical (and even potentially non-MRI!)
treatment plan to lessen your back pain.
Schedule your
Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic appointment now.
"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."