MRIs are fascinating.
They show
some amazing images of the body. Chiropractors like
looking at spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is your
Paramus chiropractor’s realm! Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center appreciates
the MRI image study for what it is: a tool.
But MRIs are not always a clinical necessity. Can MRI help decide 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
Paramus patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms signal the need for an MRI,
Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center orders one for such a Paramus
back pain patient. MRI may supplement your
Paramus chiropractor’s clinical perception
of the condition oftentimes (but not always!). Pre-treatment and post-MRI studies
are intriguing. Did the disc herniation shrink
now that the pain disappeared? Paramus
chiropractic patients will often ask that of Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center. And researchers
will examine 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 check 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. Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center knows our Paramus back pain patients wonder!
In noticing
that doctors and patients find MRI images a
curiosity when there is back pain and leg pain, a group of
researchers planned to determine the value of MRI in predicting treatment
outcomes in patients who had a herniated lumbar disc with sciatica. They questioned
if MRI could help determine whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center and the
Paramus chiropractic low back pain patients we care for would
love such a simple guide! Study participants were
randomized to surgery or prolonged conservative care. Two findings – a disc
extrusion and nerve root compression on MRI in patients with less severe leg
pain – signified 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. There
was no significant difference in outcomes between them
– surgical and conservative. (1) Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center reads similar
reports increasingly in the back pain research. Recall the Atlas studies of
surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There was
not much variation in those landmark
studies either: 50% versus 53% non-surgical versus surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% versus 61% surgical versus non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center
encourages you to make a Paramus chiropractic
appointment today. Trust Paramus Medical & Sports Rehabilitation Center 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
Paramus 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."