Back Pain Imaging and Exercise

February 15, 2024

Spinal imaging reveals much about a St Peters back pain and leg pain sufferers’ condition. Imaging must be reviewed carefully, of course, for what it shows in addition to the way various imaging methods contrast with others. Old Mill Chiropractic welcomes all the input from you, the St Peters back pain patient, as well as your imaging and examination testing findings to individualize your St Peters chiropractic treatment plan for pain relief.

DISC HERNIATION AND St Peters BACK PAIN

Disc herniation and leg and/or back pain tend to come together, too, but so much more may be incorporated: disc degeneration, annulus fibrosus rupture, irritation and compression of nerve roots and cauda equina from the herniation itself. A newer study traced the effects of exercise on a disc herniation’s neuromechanical compression, its inflammatory chemical stimulation, and its autoimmune response. (1) Imaging demonstrates nice pictures of the disc herniation…that Old Mill Chiropractic correlates with your symptomatology!

BACK PAIN AND IMAGING

Back pain and imaging seem to go together. When someone has back pain, xrays, MRIs, and CTs come to mind. Just what do these display? A study analyzed images of back pain patients to asymptomatic persons. MR imaging of those with back pain showed that various measurements were different: anteroposterior diameter dimensions of the vertebral canal varied, transverse diameter was smaller, and thecal sac area was less. (2) Caution is warranted in comparing neuroforaminal measurements from CT scans and plain film as a study found that in patients without back pain plain film measurements were bigger compared to those on CT. (3) Another imaging finding your St Peters chiropractor is quite aware of is called Modic change. It’s another imaging finding that is quite revealing in that Modic change (mainly type II) is linked with abdominal aortic calcification by way of a lower blood supply or even poorer systemic vascularization owing to atherosclerotic disease. (4) It’s another insight we can utilize to determine what’s going on in your spine. Finally, a spinal imaging finding that is quite common in back pain patients is fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles, more so in patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. (5) We check the MRI images for that though it’s hard to miss! Another good reason to begin a good spinal exercise program!

EXERCISE & SPINE PAIN RELIEF

Exercise may be quite effective in dealing with the lumbar disc herniation which is why Old Mill Chiropractic incorporates some simple lumbar spine exercises to start on day one. We encourage our back pain patients to keep doing these easy exercises and are happy to support anyone who wants to do more...after we talk!

CONTACT Old Mill Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Lee Hazen  on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates a case of degenerative spondylolisthesis that responded well to treatment with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Schedule your St Peters chiropractic appointment soon to see us! Whether you have spinal imaging currently or need it, your St Peters chiropractor can help make sense of its relevance to your journey to back pain relief.

St Peters back pain imaging and exercise