MRIs are cool.
MRIs display impressive pictures of the body. Chiropractors appreciate spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is where chiropractors like
your West Des Moines chiropractor live day in and day out. Executive Chiropractic of Iowa values
the MRI image study for what it is: a a piece of the diagnostic puzzle.
But MRIs are not always a clinical necessity. Can MRI help determine whether to use non-surgical care or
surgical care for back pain relief? Read on for the latest
findings.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
West Des Moines patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms denote the demand for an MRI,
Executive Chiropractic of Iowa orders one for such a West Des Moines
back pain patient. MRI may supplement your
West Des Moines 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? West Des Moines
chiropractic patients will often ask that of Executive Chiropractic of Iowa. And researchers
will consider MRIs for their research studies on just such
a question.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers are
not the only ones who curiously study
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to see 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. Executive Chiropractic of Iowa knows our West Des Moines 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 speculated whether MRI could help determine whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. Executive Chiropractic of Iowa and the
West Des Moines chiropractic low back pain patients we care for 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 form
of care. Another interesting finding: the size of the disc herniation at the
beginning of caredid not affect the outcome. The two groups revealed significant difference in outcomes between them
– surgical and conservative. (1) Executive Chiropractic of Iowa 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 was
not much difference in those landmark
studies either: 50% vs. 53% non-surgical vs. surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% vs. 61% surgical vs. non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
asks you to make a West Des Moines chiropractic
appointment today. Trust Executive Chiropractic of Iowa 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
West Des Moines 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."