Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries Understands How Images Help a Back Pain Patient

“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard that saying before? Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries bets you have. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries understands that Manchester back pain patients many times want to see the cause of their pain. (They believe they have pain by now!) Currently, imaging doesn’t always fulfill a patient’s desire to see the source if it is due to an issue like chemical irritation when disc material leaks out to a nerve root, so imaging can only go so far in meeting a patient’s desire to see what’s going on. But Manchester back pain patients can believe that their Manchester chiropractor will thoroughly explain to them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to ease that pain.

THE GOOD OF IMAGING

Today’s imaging recommendations are all about reducing imaging exposure and cost. The concern of radiation exposure is being dealt with by careful examination of low back pain patients for more specific findings, reducing radiation dose and doing more MRI than CT. These efforts in turn reduce the cost of imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to hold off on imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries has followed the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which suggests holding off on imaging (in the absence of "red flags" which a thorough clinical examination finds) for 30 days during which time 50% improvement is sought. If 30 days goes by without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are win-win scenarios for Manchester back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your Manchester chiropractor typically.

BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”

Other times (and Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries totally understands this!) patients want to “see” their diagnosis. Words and descriptions and drawings are one thing, but imaging is much more personal. When it comes to non-specific back pain, there is an extra layer of curiosity as it is “non-specific” and doesn’t always have a glaring reason for the pain. The public and patients believe imaging helps determine the back pain condition. They are not alone as some healthcare professionals do, too. (2) That is likely why patients and their healthcare providers want MRI and xrays.

MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING

Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the concept of imaging for spine issues. Today, medicine becomes more and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for example, treating physicians depend on imaging to ascertain the severity of it. Particularly, a set of researchers considered the possibility that imaging helped visualize the relationship between lumbopelvic alignment and cervical alignment and resulting cervical spine myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its positives. Your Manchester back pain specialist at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries wants to be sure imaging is appropriate to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ ultimate recovery and pain relief. We know that “seeing is believing” and respect what imaging contributes to the treatment plan when needed.

CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Dan Clark on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how useful imaging can be for a patient’s treatment plan and final outcome of care.

Schedule your Manchester chiropractic appointment at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries to understand your back pain and its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or not because you certainly already believe you have pain. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries believes in its relief. You can, too.