Executive Chiropractic of Iowa welcomes
West Des Moines neck pain patients due to cervical spine disc
herniations that cause arm pain radiculopathy. Non-surgical care
of arm pain radiculopathy eases West Des Moines neck pain and arm pain
non-surgically.
CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY
In managing for
cervical spine-related arm pain known as cervical radiculopathy, research guidelines describe conservative
management as a first-line treatment option over surgery.
Clinically, cervical radiculopathy can pose as numbness, paresthesia, motor
change, reflex change and/or sensory change. Researchers have been collaborating
to establish guidelines for its non-surgical management and treatment
at different stages of pain including acute, subacute, and
chronic. (1) Executive Chiropractic of Iowa considers such guidelines in planning non-surgical treatment
for our West Des Moines chiropractic patients.
GUIDELINES FOR TREATING CERVICAL DISC HERNIATIONS
In reporting the non-surgical
guidelines, researchers described the risk-benefit ratio for
surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy as less beneficial
than for non-surgical, conservative care. When studying the
care of cervical radiculopathy through its phases, the
non-surgical interventions’ guidelines move from more passive care in the acute phase to more active, individualized, self-managed
care in the chronic phase. Specifically, for the acute
stage, multimodal management including spinal manipulation, patient
education, exercise, and positioning that eases the
pain were beneficial. For subacute cervical
radiculopathy, increased specific exercises, supervised motor
control motions and/or mobilization may be incorporated. In the
chronic phase, patients may benefit from general aerobic exercise
and strength training, postural instruction, and ergonomic assessment of
job-related activities, general aerobic exercise and
strength training, postural instruction, and ergonomic assessment of
job-related activities may be included}29}. (2) We know
that our neck and arm pain patients appreciate activities
like this that allow them to return to living.
TIME AND THE CERVICAL DISC HERNIATION
Overall, in one systematic review study, 56.4%
of degenerative cervical radiculopathy patients - 39.1% of conservatively
treated patients and 60.5% of surgically treated patients – reported motor deficits before treatment. (3) A
spine surgeon described a case report of a patient who
was ready to undergo cervical spine discectomy/fusion surgery
for a C4-C5 disc herniation whose
disc resorbed on a confirming repeat MRI, rendering surgery unnecessary.
The researcher conceded that more research was accessible
on the reduction
of lumbar disc herniations seen on MRI by 34.7% to 95% over 6 to 17 months
and total resorption of the disc in 43% to 75% yet postulated
that cervical disc herniations were likely to act the same way. (4) Like the author,
Executive Chiropractic of Iowa holds out hope for our cervical disc herniation and cervical
radiculopathy patients that surgery may not be required. Our
conservative West Des Moines chiropractic treatment will quite possibly help in relieving the symptoms and pain.
CONTACT Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Umar Ellahie on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
illustrates cervical radiculopathy and its relieving care with
The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your West Des Moines chiropractic
appointment soon. Cervical radiculopathy and cervical disc
herniation sufferers experience a pain-relieving partner at our
clinic.