January 2024 Healthy News from Chiropractic Solutions Disc Herniation Size Doesnt Always Matter and Ways to Lower Chronic Pain
DISC SIZE DOESN’T (necessarily) MATTER!
Now that’s’ a novel idea for the start of a new year amidst all the talk of new year’s talk of dieting to downsize! With back pain and neck pain, a little disc is not really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you are not! What matters is (1) how much mechanical pressure the disc protrusion is putting on the nerve root and/or (2) how much chemical irritation is involved if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has escaped the anular fibers that surround it and now envelops the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never touched each other before. Nerves do not like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny disc extrusion can generate a great amount of pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not produce pain at all if it doesn’t contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just ended their report with the conclusion that the size of a disc protrusion did not demonstrate a significant relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is beginning 2024 with San Jose back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Chiropractic Solutions for some San Jose pain relief with gentle, safe chiropractic Cox® Technic care!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Timothy Gagan on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson about use of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for a patient experiencing back and leg pain because of a disc herniation.
San Jose CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: 4 Ways to Reduce Chronic Pain In 2024
As researchers and healthcare professionals work toward establishing practice guidelines (ex: WHO) in managing chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they’re analyzing influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers ought to address for best clinical outcomes:
- Understand the condition. A clear understanding of the chronic primary low back pain condition via education/advice was associated with improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
- Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were found to be significantly associated with chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
- Undergo spinal manipulation. A study of nonpharmacological pain management approaches utilized by Medicare patients reported that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we utilize in our chiropractic practice – helped a 67-year-old veteran who suffered with chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for many decades find overall improvement in his condition, decrease use of pain medication, and gain mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
- Exercise. Structured exercise programs were documented to reduce pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)
Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Chiropractic Solutions is happy to be your San Jose chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!