Chiropractic Reduces Disc Herniation Related Pain Often Without MRI

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! Disc Centers Of America appreciates the MRI image study for what it is: a tool. But MRIs are not always clinically necessary. Can MRI help determine whether to use non-surgical care or surgical care 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, Disc Centers Of America 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 Disc Centers Of America. 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. Disc Centers Of America 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. Disc Centers Of America 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) Disc Centers Of America 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).

Disc Centers Of America Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation

Disc Centers Of America invites you to make a Buffalo, NY chiropractic appointment today. Trust Disc Centers Of America 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.