Size of San Jose Disc Herniation in Canal Isnt That Important

76% of us has a disc herniation. (1) Do all 76% 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 producing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Chiropractic Solutions figures this out during 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 allow 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 very large discs in back pain sufferers who have little or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in unbearable pain may show a minimal disc herniation. It can be frustrating. Fortunately, 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 who had a lumbar disc herniation reported that 91.3% of them did not undergo back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs took up 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-surgical patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That is not much of a difference. Researchers report that this does not predict which patients will fail nonoperative treatment and require surgery within 2 years after getting a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) With knowledge of these findings, Chiropractic Solutions uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your San Jose chiropractor is the San Jose back pain specialist. Painful disc herniations are accepted at Chiropractic Solutions as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations large and small respond nicely 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% decrease in size. 57% of patients had a reduction, 40% showed no change in size, and 3% had a larger herniation. (5) More specifically, conservative treatment of the disc herniation with flexion distraction Cox® Technic delivered increases in the measurements of the spinal canal by as much as 28% in area, 17% in height and 7% in width. (6) San Jose back pain sufferers are grateful for such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions

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 resulting in spinal stenosis that created significant pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was enhanced with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your San Jose chiropractic appointment today. No matter its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Chiropractic Solutions.