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

Now that is 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 aren’t! What matters is (1) how much mechanical pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) how much chemical irritation is present if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has left 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 lots of pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not trigger 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 Groton back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come see Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office for some Groton 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.              

 

Groton 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 studying influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers need to address for optimal clinical outcomes:

1. Understand the condition. A clear understanding of the chronic primary low back pain condition via education/advice was related to improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
2. Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were found to be significantly related to chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
3. Undergo spinal manipulation. A review of nonpharmacological pain management approaches used by Medicare patients found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely investigated approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we utilize 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 get overall improvement in his condition, decrease use of pain medication, and gain mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
4. Exercise. Structured exercise programs were documented to reduce pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is happy to be your Groton chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!

Make your Groton chiropractic appointment today!