January 2024 Healthy News from Rosenberg Wellness Center Disc Herniation Size Doesnt Always Matter and Ways to Lower Chronic Pain
DISC SIZE DOESN’T (necessarily) MATTER!
Now there 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 little disc isn’t really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you are not! What does matter is (1) how much mechanical pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) the amount of chemical irritation is present if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has left 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 disc extrusion can generate lots of pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge protruded may not produce 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 show a noteworthy relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is starting 2024 with New York City back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Rosenberg Wellness Center for some New York City 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.
New York City 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) to manage chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they’re studying influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers ought to address for optimal clinical outcomes:
- Understand the condition. A clear grasp of the chronic primary low back pain condition via education/advice was related to beneficial developments in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
- Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were documented to be significantly related to chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
- Undergo spinal manipulation. A study of nonpharmacological pain management approaches utilized by Medicare patients reported that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied methods. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we use in our targetlocation practice – helped a 67-year-old veteran who suffered with chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for many decades realize overall improvement in his condition, reduce use of pain medication, and increase mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
- Exercise. Structured exercise programs were shown to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)
Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Rosenberg Wellness Center is happy to be your New York City chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!