Healthy News January 2024 Disc Size Doesnt Necessarily Matter & 4 Ways To Ease Chronic Pain

Now that’s’ a novel idea for the start of a new year amidst all the talk of new year’s talk of dieting to downsize! With back pain and neck pain, a small disc is not necessarily pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you are not! What does matter is (1) the amount of pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) the amount of chemical irritation is involved if an extruded disc’s inner gel-like material has exited the outer annular fibers and now envelops the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never touched each other before. Nerves hurt when this new chemical irritant comes in! A tiny disc extrusion can provoke enormous pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge disc protrusion may not trigger pain at all if it doesn’t contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just concluded that the size of a disc protrusion did not show a noteworthy relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is starting 2024 with Carrolltown back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come see Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation for some Carrolltown 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 experiencing back and leg pain because of a disc herniation.              

 

Carrolltown CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: 4 Ways to Ease Chronic Pain In 2024

As researchers and healthcare professionals work toward establishing practice guidelines (ex: WHO) in managing chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they are analyzing influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers need to address for best clinical outcomes:

1. Understand the condition. A clear understanding 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)
2. Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were found to be significantly associated with chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
3. Undergo spinal manipulation. A review of nonpharmacological pain management methods undergone by Medicare patients found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we utilize in our targetlocation practice – benefitted a 67-year-old veteran who experienced chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for several decades get overall improvement in his condition, reduce use of pain medication, and gain mobility after 4 sessions over a 4-week period. (12)
4. Exercise. Structured exercise programs were documented to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is happy to be your Carrolltown chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!

Make your Carrolltown chiropractic appointment today!