MRIs are fascinating.
They display
some amazing images of the body. Chiropractors like
looking at spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is your
Buffalo, NY chiropractor’s realm! The Novelli Wellness Center appreciates
the MRI image study for what it is: a tool.
But MRIs are not always clinically necessary. Can MRI help determine whether a
surgical or non-surgical approach is appropriate for back pain relief? Read on for the most recent
findings.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
Buffalo, NY patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms signal the need for an MRI,
The Novelli Wellness Center requests one for such a Buffalo, NY
back pain patient. MRI may supplement your
Buffalo, NY chiropractor’s clinical knowledge
of the condition oftentimes (but not always!). Pre-treatment and post-MRI images
are intriguing. Did the disc herniation reduce
now that the pain disappeared? Buffalo, NY
chiropractic patients will often ask that of The Novelli Wellness Center. And researchers
will consider MRIs for their research studies on just such
a question.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers aren’t the only ones who curiously examine
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to check if there is any correlation
between pain and no pain and the MRI at the beginning
and end of treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. The Novelli Wellness Center is
well aware that our Buffalo, NY back pain patients wonder!
Knowing
that doctors and patients dealing with back pain like MRIs, 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 decide whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. The Novelli Wellness Center and the
Buffalo, NY chiropractic low back pain patients we care for would
love such a simple indicator! Study participants were randomly
sent to surgical care or a course of prolonged conservative care. Two findings – a disc
extrusion and nerve root compression on MRI in patients with less severe leg
pain – indicated a satisfactory outcome with either type
of care. Another interesting finding: the size of the disc herniation at the
beginning of caredid not affect the outcome. The two groups revealed significant difference in outcomes between the two groups
– surgical and conservative. (1) The Novelli Wellness Center sees similar
reports more and more in the back pain research. Recall the Atlas studies of
surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There wasn’t much difference in those classic
studies either: 50% versus 53% non-surgical versus surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% versus 61% surgical vs. non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
The Novelli Wellness Center
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
The Novelli Wellness Center
invites you to make a Buffalo, NY chiropractic
appointment today. Trust The Novelli Wellness 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 alleviate your back pain.
Schedule your
Buffalo, NY chiropractic appointment now.