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

Now that 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 is not really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you aren’t! What matters is (1) the amount of pressure the disc protrusion is putting on the nerve root and/or (2) the amount of chemical irritation is involved if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has exited the anular fibers that surround it and now envelops the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never touched each other before. Nerves don’t like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny extruded disc can cause lots of pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge disc protrusion 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 noteworthy relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is starting 2024 with Largo back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Hollstrom & Associates Inc for some Largo 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.              

 

Largo 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 related to improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
2. Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were documented to be significantly related to 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 found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we use in our targetlocation practice – benefitted a 67-year-old veteran who suffered with chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for many decades find overall improvement in his condition, reduce 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 reduce pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Hollstrom & Associates Inc is ready to be your Largo chiropractic partner in this endeavor. See you soon!

Schedule your Largo chiropractic appointment today!