“Seeing is believing.” That’s a popular saying. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic knows
that Montreal back pain patients many times would
like to see the cause of their pain. (They believe they have pain by now!) Today, imaging doesn’t always meet a patient’s desire to see the source
if it is because of 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 Montreal back pain patients can believe that
their Montreal chiropractor will thoroughly tell
them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to ease
that pain.
THE GOOD OF IMAGING
Today’s imaging recommendations
seem to be all about decreasing imaging exposure and
cost. The concern of radiation exposure is being dealt with by carefully examining low back pain patients for more specific findings,
reducing radiation dose and performing more MRI
than CT. These efforts in turn decrease the cost of
imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to hold off on imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic has followed the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which recommends holding off on imaging (in the absence of "red flags" which a thorough clinical examination finds) for a month during which time 50% improvement is sought. If 30 days pass without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are positive scenarios for
Montreal back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your
Montreal chiropractor typically.
BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”
Other times (and Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic totally gets
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 additional
layer of curiosity as it is “non-specific” and doesn’t
always have an obvious cause 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 like MRI and xrays.
MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING
Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the idea
of imaging for spine problems. Today, medicine is more
and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for example,
treating physicians rely on imaging to determine the severity of it. Particularly, a group
of researchers looked at the possibility of
how imaging helped see the relationship between lumbopelvic
alignment and cervical alignment and subsequent cervical spine
myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its good points. Your Montreal
back pain specialist at Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic wants to be sure imaging is appropriate to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ final
recovery and pain relief. We realize that “seeing is believing” and
respect what imaging brings to the treatment plan when needed.
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
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 Montreal chiropractic appointment at
Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic to understand your back pain and
its relieving treatment plan whether you can see the cause or
not because you definitely already believe you
have pain. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic believes in its relief. You can, too.