Back Pain Imaging and Exercise
Spinal imaging shows us much about a Easley back pain and leg pain sufferers’ condition. Imaging must be carefully considered, of course, for what it shows in addition to how various imaging methods contrast with others. Young Chiropractic appreciates all the input you can bring with you, the Easley back pain patient, as well as your imaging and examination testing findings to personalize your Easley chiropractic treatment plan for pain relief.
DISC HERNIATION AND Easley BACK PAIN
Disc herniation and leg and/or back pain tend to come together, too, but so much more may be incorporated: degenerative disc disease, annulus fibrosus rupture, irritation and compression of nerve roots and cauda equina from the herniation itself. A recent study traced the effects of exercise on a disc herniation’s neuromechanical compression, its inflammatory chemical stimulation, and its autoimmune response. (1) Imaging shows nice pictures of the disc herniation…that Young Chiropractic correlates with your symptoms!
BACK PAIN AND IMAGING
Back pain and imaging seem to go together. When someone experiences back pain, xrays, MRIs, and CTs come to mind. Just what do these demonstrate? A study compared images of symptomatic patients to asymptomatic persons. MR imaging of those with back pain showed that a variety of measurements were different: anteroposterior diameter dimensions of the vertebral canal varied, transverse diameter was lesser, and thecal sac area was smaller. (2) Caution is necessary to compare neuroforaminal measurements from CT scans and plain film as a study found that in patients without back pain plain film measurements were larger compared to those on CT. (3) Another imaging finding your Easley chiropractor is quite aware of is called Modic change. It’s another imaging finding that is quite revealing in that Modic change (mainly type II) is related with abdominal aortic calcification by way of a lower blood supply or even poorer systemic vascularization owing to atherosclerotic disease. (4) It’s another insight we can utilize to determine what’s going on in your spine. Finally, a spinal imaging finding that is quite common in back pain patients is fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles, more so in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. (5) We look for that on MRI images though it’s hard to not see! Another good reason to begin a good spinal exercise program!
EXERCISE & SPINE PAIN RELIEF
Exercise may be quite valuable in dealing with the lumbar disc herniation which is why Young Chiropractic includes some simple lumbar spine exercises to start on day one. We inspire our back pain patients to keep doing these simple exercises and are happy to support anyone who wants to do more...after we talk!
CONTACT Young Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Lee Hazen on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates a case of degenerative spondylolisthesis that responded well to treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Easley chiropractic appointment today to visit us! Whether you have spinal imaging already or need it, your Easley chiropractor can help make sense of its relevance to your journey to back pain relief.
