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! With back pain and neck pain, a small disc is not necessarily pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you are not! What matters 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 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 come in contact with each other before. Nerves hurt when this new chemical irritant comes in! A tiny disc extrusion can provoke lots of pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not trigger pain at all if it doesn’t 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 significant relationship to pain and function. (8) If you or a loved one or friend is beginning 2024 with Plainville back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come see Layden Chiropractic for some Plainville 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.              

 

Plainville CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: 4 Ways to Reduce Chronic Pain In 2024

As researchers and healthcare professionals try to establish practice guidelines (ex: WHO) to manage chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they are studying influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers need to address for optimal clinical outcomes:

1. 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)
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 study of nonpharmacological pain management approaches chosen by Medicare patients reported that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely studied approaches. (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 several decades realize overall improvement in his condition, reduce use of pain medication, and increase mobility after 4 sessions over a 4-week period. (12)
4. 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! Layden Chiropractic is happy to be your Plainville chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!

Make your Plainville chiropractic appointment today!