“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard
that saying before? Chiropractic Care bets you have. Chiropractic Care understands
that West Palm Beach back pain patients often want to see the source of their pain. (They believe they have pain by now!) Today, imaging doesn’t always fulfill a patient’s desire to see the cause
if it is due to an issue like chemical
irritation when disc material is on a nerve root, so imaging
can only go so far in satisfying a patient’s desire to see what’s
going on. But West Palm Beach back pain patients can believe that
their West Palm Beach chiropractor will thoroughly tell
them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to alleviate
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,
decreasing radiation dose and doing more MRI
than CT. These changes in turn decrease the cost of
imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to hold off on imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Chiropractic Care 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 goes by without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are win-win scenarios for
West Palm Beach back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your
West Palm Beach chiropractor typically.
BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”
Other times (and Chiropractic Care totally gets
this!) patients want to “see” their diagnosis. Words and descriptions and
drawings are one thing, but imaging is a lot 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 diagnose 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 instance,
treating physicians depend on imaging to determine 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 subsequent cervical spine
myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its positives. Your West Palm Beach
back pain specialist at Chiropractic Care 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 Chiropractic Care
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 West Palm Beach chiropractic appointment at
Chiropractic Care to more fully comprehend your back pain and
its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or
not because you certainly already believe you
have pain. Chiropractic Care believes in its relief. You can, too.