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 does matter is (1) how much mechanical pressure the disc protrusion is placing on the nerve root and/or (2) how much chemical irritation is involved if an extruded disc’s inner gel-like material has exited the anular fibers that surround it and now surrounds the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never come in contact with each other before. Nerves don’t like this new chemical “bath” and hurt! A tiny disc extrusion can generate enormous pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not produce pain at all if it doesn’t contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just concluded 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 Millville back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Wilson Family Chiropractic for some Millville 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 because of a disc herniation.              

 

Millville CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: 4 Ways to Ease Chronic Pain In 2024

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

1. Understand the condition. A clear understanding 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 documented to be significantly related to 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 extensively investigated 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 get overall improvement in his condition, decrease use of pain medication, and increase mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
4. Exercise. Structured exercise programs were documented to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Wilson Family Chiropractic is happy to be your Millville chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!

Schedule your Millville chiropractic appointment today!