January 2024 Healthy News from Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn Disc Herniation Size Doesnt Always Matter and Ways to Lower Chronic Pain
DISC SIZE DOESN’T (necessarily) MATTER!
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 necessarily pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you are not! 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 involved if an extruded disc’s inner gel-like material has exited the outer annular fibers and now surrounds 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 produce a great amount of pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge disc protrusion may not produce 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 Ashburn and Herndon back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn for some Ashburn and Herndon 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.
Ashburn and Herndon CHIROPRACTIC TIP OF THE MONTH: 4 Ways to Reduce 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 optimal clinical outcomes:
- Understand the condition. A clear understanding of the chronic primary low back pain condition via education/advice was associated with beneficial developments in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
- Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were found to be significantly associated with chronic pain and pain-related disability as an adult. (10)
- Undergo spinal manipulation. A study of nonpharmacological pain management approaches used by Medicare patients found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most extensively investigated methods. (11) Cox® Technic flexion-distraction - as we use in our chiropractic practice – helped a 67-year-old veteran who experienced chronic low back pain and intermittent lower extremity pain for several decades realize 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! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn is excited to be your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic partner in this project. See you soon!
Schedule your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic appointment now!