Size of West Des Moines Disc Herniation in Canal Isnt That Important

76% of us has a disc herniation. (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 causing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Executive Chiropractic of Iowa determines this in the course of the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are extras that can help - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient let 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 huge discs in back pain sufferers who have not a lot of or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in excruciating pain may have a minimal disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Fortunately, research maintains that size isn’t everything. A study reported 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 have back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs occupied 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-operative patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That is not much of a difference. Researchers wrote that this doesn’t predict which patients will fail nonsurgical treatment and need surgery within 2 years after undergoing a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) With knowledge of these findings, Executive Chiropractic of Iowa uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your West Des Moines chiropractor is the West Des Moines back pain specialist. Disc herniations causing pain are accepted at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa as the spinal research shows that, though painful, disc herniations large and small respond nicely to conservative treatment. As a matter of fact, in following up with patients who underwent 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% reduction in size. 57% of patients had a reduction, 40% showed no change in size, and 3% showed a bigger herniation. (5) More specifically, 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) West Des Moines back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Executive Chiropractic of Iowa

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 West Des Moines chiropractic appointment today. Regardless of its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa.