MRIs are fascinating.
MRIs display pretty pictures of the body. Chiropractors appreciate spinal MRI images. Why? The spine is where chiropractors like
your La Grande chiropractor live day in and day out. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC values
the MRI image study for what it is: a a piece of the diagnostic puzzle.
But MRIs are not always a clinical necessity. Can MRI help determine whether a
surgical or non-surgical approach is appropriate for back pain relief? Read on for the latest
findings.
The Usefulness
of MRI
When a
La Grande patient’s back pain, neck pain, arm pain or leg pain
symptoms indicate the demand for an MRI,
Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC orders one for such a La Grande
back pain patient. MRI may add to your
La Grande chiropractor’s clinical understanding
of the condition oftentimes (but not always!). Pre-treatment and post-MRI images
are interesting. Did the disc herniation reduce
now that the pain disappeared? La Grande
chiropractic patients will often ask that of Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. And researchers
will consider MRIs for their research studies on just such
a query.
The Curiosity
of MRI
Researchers aren’t the only ones who curiously look at
MRI images of low back pain sufferers to see if there is any connection
between pain and no pain and the MRI pre and post treatment for back pain. Patients wonder, too. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC knows our La Grande back pain patients wonder!
Knowing
that doctors and patients dealing with back pain like MRIs, some
researchers set out to determine if MRI is of value in
determining how treatment outcomes will be for patients with sciatic
leg pain due to a herniated lumbar disc. They speculated whether MRI could help decide whether to do back surgery now or
stay the course with conservative care. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC and the
La Grande chiropractic low back pain patients we treat would
love such a simple indicator! Study participants were
randomized to surgery or prolonged conservative care. Two findings – a disc
extrusion and nerve root compression on MRI in patients with less severe leg
pain – suggested a satisfactory outcome with either type
of care. Another noteworthy finding: the size of the disc herniation at the
beginning of care didn’t affect the outcome. The two groups revealed significant difference in outcomes between the two groups
– surgical and conservative. (1) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC reads similar
reports more and more in the back pain research. Remember the Atlas studies of
surgical and non-surgical interventions for back pain and sciatica? There wasn’t much variation in those classic
studies either: 50% versus 53% non-surgical versus surgical for
back pain due to spinal stenosis (2) and 69% versus 61% surgical vs. non-surgical for
sciatica (3).
Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Offers Chiropractic Non-Surgical Care of Disc Herniation
Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
invites you to make a La Grande chiropractic
appointment today. Trust Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC to provide evidence-based chiropractic
care that relieves your spine pain many times without an MRI. Together,
we can create a non-surgical (and even potentially non-MRI!)
treatment plan to reduce your back pain.
Schedule your
La Grande chiropractic appointment now.