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! In the world of back pain and neck pain, a little disc isn’t necessarily pain-free. Surprised? If you have a small disc and pain, you’re 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 involved if a disc extrusion’s inner gel-like material has exited the anular fibers that surround it and now surrounds the spinal nerve(s) which has (have) never touched each other before. Nerves hurt when this new chemical irritant comes in! A tiny extruded disc can cause enormous pain if chemical irritation is part of the problem. A huge protruded may not cause pain at all if it does not contact a spinal nerve. (1-7) A 2023 published study just concluded 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 Montreal back pain with or without sciatic leg pain or neck pain with or without arm pain radiculopathy, come visit Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic for some Montreal 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.              

 

Montreal 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) in managing chronic pain (back, neck, etc.), they’re analyzing influencing factors that chronic pain sufferers and their caregivers ought 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 associated with improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and psychological outcomes. (9)
2. Consider emotional influences. Adverse childhood events were documented 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 found that manipulative therapies, mainly chiropractic, have been the most widely investigated 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, decrease use of pain medication, and gain mobility after 4 sessions in just a short 4-week period. (12)
4. Exercise. Structured exercise programs were reported to decrease pain and functional limitation in chronic low back pain patients. (13)

Make 2024 your year for pain relief! Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic is happy to be your Montreal chiropractic partner in this effort. See you soon!

Schedule your Montreal chiropractic appointment now!