“Seeing is believing.” That’s a popular saying. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office knows
that Groton back pain patients often want to see the source of their pain. (They already believe
their pain!) Today, imaging doesn’t always meet a patient’s desire to see the cause
if it is due to an issue like chemical
irritation when disc material leaks out to a nerve root, so imaging
can only go so far in satisfying a patient’s desire to see the cause. But Groton back pain patients can believe that
their Groton chiropractor will thoroughly tell
them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to alleviate
that pain.
THE GOOD OF IMAGING
Today’s imaging recommendations
are all about decreasing imaging exposure and
cost. The concern of radiation exposure is being dealt with by carefully examining low back pain patients for more specific indications,
decreasing radiation dose and doing more MRI
than CT. These efforts in turn decrease the cost of
imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to no do imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office has followed the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which suggests holding off on imaging (in the absence of "red flags" which a thorough clinical examination finds) for 30 days during which time 50% improvement is sought. If 30 days goes by without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are positive situations for
Groton back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your
Groton chiropractor most of the time.
BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”
Other times (and Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office totally gets
this!) patients want to “see” their diagnosis. Words and descriptions and
drawings are one thing, but imaging is much more personal.
When it comes to non-specific back pain, there is an extra
layer of curiosity as it’s “non-specific” and doesn’t
always have an obvious reason for the pain. The
public and patients believe imaging helps diagnose the back
pain condition. They are not alone as some healthcare professionals do, too. (2)
That’s probably why patients and their healthcare
providers like MRI and xrays.
MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING
Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the concept
of imaging for spine issues. Today, medicine becomes more
and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for example,
treating physicians depend on imaging to determine the severity of it. Particularly, a group
of researchers considered the possibility that imaging helped see the relationship between lumbopelvic
alignment and cervical alignment and resulting cervical spine
myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its positives. Your Groton
back pain specialist at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office wants to be sure imaging is appropriate to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ final
recovery and pain relief. We realize that “seeing is believing” and
respect what imaging brings to the treatment plan when needed.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Dan Clark on The Back
Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains how
valuable imaging can be for a patient’s treatment plan and final
outcome of care.
Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment at
Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office to more fully comprehend your back pain and
its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or
not because you definitely already believe you
have pain. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office believes in its relief. You can, too.