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

Now there’s a novel idea for the start of a new year amidst all the talk of new year’s talk of dieting to downsize! In the world of back pain and neck pain, a small disc isn’t 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 escaped the anular fibers that surround it 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 extruded disc can cause enormous pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge protruded may not cause pain at all if it does not contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just ended their report with the conclusion 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 Oxford back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come see Satterwhite Chiropractic for some Oxford 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 due to a disc herniation.              

 

Oxford 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 optimal 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 approaches used by Medicare patients reported that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most extensively investigated methods. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we use 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 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 shown to reduce pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Satterwhite Chiropractic is ready to be your Oxford chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!

Make your Oxford chiropractic appointment today!