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

Now that’s’ a twist on new year’s resolutions of dieting to downsize! In the world of back pain and neck pain, a little disc isn’t really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you aren’t! What does matter is (1) how much mechanical pressure the disc protrusion is putting on the nerve root and/or (2) how much chemical irritation is present if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has exited the outer annular fibers and now surrounds the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never come in contact with each other before. Nerves don’t like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny disc extrusion can generate lots of pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not produce 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 demonstrate a significant relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is starting 2024 with Fort Wayne back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come see Aaron Chiropractic Clinic for some Fort Wayne 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 due to a disc herniation.              

 

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

As researchers and healthcare professionals try to establish 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 associated with beneficial developments 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 extensively studied approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we utilize in our targetlocation practice – helped a 67-year-old veteran who experienced chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for many decades realize 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 reported to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Aaron Chiropractic Clinic is happy to be your Fort Wayne chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!

Make your Fort Wayne chiropractic appointment today!