January 2024 Healthy News from Hollstrom & Associates Inc 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! In the world of back pain and neck pain, a small disc isn’t really pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you aren’t! What does matter is (1) the amount of pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) the amount of chemical irritation is present if an extruded disc’s inner gel-like material has left the anular fibers that surround it and now envelops the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never come in contact with each other before. Nerves do not like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny disc extrusion can produce lots of pain if chemical irritation is involved. A huge disc protrusion may not trigger 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 show a noteworthy relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is beginning 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 experiencing 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’re studying influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers need to address for best clinical outcomes:
- Understand the condition. A clear grasp 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)
- Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were documented to be significantly associated with chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
- Undergo spinal manipulation. A review of nonpharmacological pain management approaches undergone by Medicare patients reported that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we utilize 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 get overall improvement in his condition, reduce use of pain medication, and gain 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! Hollstrom & Associates Inc is ready to be your Largo chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!