Carrolltown Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care

Analyzing the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers with MRI imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal examination. Carrolltown neck pain with imaging-revealed changes in the cervical spine will get a treatment plan based on both imaging (if/when available) and clinical exam findings.

MRI is an amazing technology. It is used commonly to evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. When spine pain continues without relief while undergoing care for an extended period of time, doing imaging is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be correlated with the clinical symptomatology seen in the clinical exam to guide the care for optimal relief. Modic Changes – vertebral bone endplate and bone marrow changes - are commonly noted when radiologists read the MRI and classify the level of disc degeneration with level 1 being the least degenerated and level 3 being the most degenerated. More lumbar spine studies have been done to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are fewer. A review of 14 research studies about the connection between neck pain and/or cervical spine disc degeneration to MRI-revealed Modic changes reported that cervical spine Modic changes were present in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs revealed Modic changes described more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, one MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients reported that no classification system of cervical disc degeneration correlated with clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did mention that vertebral endplate changes may be connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Disc degeneration and vertebral changes causing pain can be addressed with chiropractic care.

TREATMENT PLANNING 

When it comes to chiropractic treatment of patients with MRI imaging displaying Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have faced correlating effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies currently published about the care of Modic change associated back pain, in this case it was low back pain, revealed that spinal manipulation was advocated as an option. The review listed insufficient support for medication use and rigid lumbar brace wearing, controversial use of antibiotics, and exercise therapy’s use to reduce back pain intensity as having low evidence support. (3) Do you see how imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive? One thing your Carrolltown chiropractor knowledgeably and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or despite imaging. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation keeps doing what works for our patients.

CONTACT Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with cervical spine disc degeneration and herniation that allowed him to avoid spine surgery.

Make your next Carrolltown chiropractic appointment with Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation. MRIs and Modic changes won’t confuse your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving treatment plan for your cervical spine issues.