New York City Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care
Studying the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers who have MRIs noting some changes in the spine can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Rosenberg Wellness Center always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal exam. New York City neck pain with imaging-revealed changes in the cervical spine will receive a treatment plan based on both imaging (if/when available) and clinical exam findings.
MRI is an amazing technology. It is used commonly to evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. When spine pain persists even with care for an extended period of time, doing imaging is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be correlated with the clinical symptomatology seen in the clinical exam to guide the care for optimal relief. Modic Changes – vertebral bone endplate and bone marrow changes - are typically noted when radiologists review the MRI and classify the level of disc degeneration with level 1 being the least degenerated and level 3 being the most degenerated. In the lumbar spine, more studies have been performed to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are scarcer. A review of 14 research studies regarding the connection between neck pain and/or cervical spine disc degeneration to MRI-revealed Modic changes reported that cervical spine Modic changes were present in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs showed Modic changes stated more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, one MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients reported that no system of classification of cervical disc degeneration correlated with clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did mention that vertebral endplate changes may be connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Chiropractic care can help pain due to disc degeneration and vertebral changes.
TREATMENT PLANNING
When [[companyname treats patients with MRI imaging showing Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have been challenged to correlate effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies currently published about the treatment of Modic change related back pain, in this review it was low back pain, found that spinal manipulation was advocated as an option. The review recorded insufficient support for use of medication and rigid lumbar brace wearing, antibiotics’ use as controversial, and low evidence for exercise therapy to decrease pain intensity. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One thing your New York City chiropractor knowledgeably and safely provides is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief manytimes before and/or in spite of imaging. Rosenberg Wellness Center stays the course with what our experience tells us helps our patients.
CONTACT Rosenberg Wellness Center
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with cervical spine disc degeneration and herniation that allowed him to avoid spine surgery.
Make your next New York City chiropractic appointment with Rosenberg Wellness Center. MRIs and Modic changes will not mislead your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving treatment plan for your cervical spine issues.
