Size of Nashua Disc Herniation in Canal Is Not That Important

76% of us has a disc herniation. (1) Do all 76% have back pain right now? Nope! Thank goodness! The presence of a disc herniation on imaging isn’t the important issue. The matter is whether that disc is producing pain either mechanically (by pressing on a nerve) or chemically (by irritating a nerve). Moriarty Chiropractic determines this during the all-important physical exam. The MRI and other imaging studies are tools that can help - or distract - the chiropractic back pain treatment approach if the doctor and patient allow it. So let’s not allow it! 

PERCENT OF SPINAL CANAL A DISC OCCUPIES DOESN’T MATTER

Some imaging studies or MRI images will illustrate very large discs in back pain sufferers who have minimal or no pain while back pain sufferers who are in excruciating pain may have a minimal disc herniation. It can be upsetting. Fortunately, research maintains that size is not everything. A study reported that there was no correlation of pain and disability with the size of a disc herniation seen on MRI. (2) Another study of 368 patients who had a lumbar disc herniation stated that 91.3% of them did not have back surgery within a year. The surgery patients’ discs took up 31.5% of their spinal canal while the non-surgical patients’ discs took up 31.2% of their spinal canals. That is not much of a difference. Researchers report that this does not predict which patients will fail nonsurgical treatment and need surgery within 2 years after getting a lumbar spine MRI scan. (3) In light of these findings, Moriarty Chiropractic uses conservative treatment of these disc herniations.

CONSERVATIVE CARE EFFECT ON DISC SIZE

Chiropractors are back pain specialists. Your Nashua chiropractor is the Nashua back pain specialist. Disc herniations causing pain are accepted at Moriarty Chiropractic as the spinal research indicates that, though painful, disc herniations large and little react nicely to conservative treatment. As a matter of fact, in following up with patients who chose conservative treatment for their disc herniation, 35% to 100% of the cases revealed a reduction in the size of the herniation. (4) Two years after conservative care, herniated disc patients showed a 16.5% reduction in size. 57% of patients had a reduction, 40% showed no change in size, and 3% had a larger herniation. (5) Particularly, conservative treatment of the disc herniation with flexion distraction Cox® Technic delivered increases in the measurements of the spinal canal by as much as 28% in area, 17% in height and 7% in width. (6) Nashua back pain sufferers are happy with such improvement in their disc herniations as pain relief results.

CONTACT Moriarty Chiropractic

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. George Joachim on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. Dr. Joachim shares the case of a patient with a disc herniation resulting in spinal stenosis that generated considerable pain and alteration to her lifestyle which was enhanced with his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your Nashua chiropractic appointment today. No matter its size, your disc herniation is in good company and in good hands at Moriarty Chiropractic.