Size of Montreal Disc Herniation in Canal Is Not That Important
76% of us has a disc herniation. (1) Do all 76% have back pain right now? Nope! Thank goodness! 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). Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic determines this in the course of the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are extras that can assist - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient let it. So let’s not allow it!
PERCENT OF SPINAL CANAL A DISC TAKES UP DOESN’T MATTER
Some imaging studies or MRI images will illustrate huge discs in back pain sufferers who have little or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in unbearable pain may show a small disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Luckily, research continues to comfort all involved by explaining that size isn’t everything. A research paper documented that there was no correlation of pain and disability with the size of a disc herniation found on MRI. (2) Another study of 368 patients diagnosed with a lumbar disc herniation said that 91.3% of them did not have 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 variance. Researchers wrote that this doesn’t predict which patients will fail nonsurgical treatment and require surgery within 2 years after getting a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) In light of these findings, Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.
CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE
Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Montreal chiropractor is the Montreal back pain specialist. Painful disc herniations are accepted at Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations large and little react well to conservative treatment. As a matter of fact, in following up with patients who had conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases showed a decrease in the size of the disc. (4) Two years after conservative care, herniated disc patients had a 16.5% reduction in size. 57% of patients showed a reduction, 40% demonstrated no change in size, and 3% had a larger herniation. (5) Particularly, conservative treatment of the disc herniation with flexion distraction Cox® Technic delivered increases in the dimensions of the spinal canal by as much as 28% in area, 17% in height and 7% in width. (6) Montreal back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
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 preoducing 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 Montreal chiropractic appointment today. Regardless of its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic.
