January 2024 Healthy News from Young Chiropractic Disc Herniation Size Doesnt Always Matter and Ways to Lower Chronic Pain
DISC SIZE DOESN’T (necessarily) MATTER!
Now that’s’ a twist on new year’s resolutions of dieting to downsize! In the world of back pain and neck pain, a little disc is not really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you aren’t! What does matter is (1) the amount of pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) how much chemical irritation is involved if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has exited the anular fibers that surround it and now envelops the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never touched each other before. Nerves don’t like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny extruded disc can generate enormous pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge protruded may not cause pain at all if it does not contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just concluded that the size of a disc protrusion did not demonstrate a noteworthy relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is beginning 2024 with Easley back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Young Chiropractic for some Easley 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 suffering with back and leg pain because of a disc herniation.
Easley 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) to manage chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they’re analyzing influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers need to address for optimal clinical outcomes:
- Understand the condition. A clear grasp 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 documented to be significantly related to chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
- Undergo spinal manipulation. A review of nonpharmacological pain management methods utilized by Medicare patients found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely investigated methods. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we use in our chiropractic practice – benefitted a 67-year-old veteran who suffered with chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for several decades find overall improvement in his condition, reduce use of pain medication, and gain mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
- Exercise. Structured exercise programs were reported to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)
Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Young Chiropractic is excited to be your Easley chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!