“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard
that saying before? Pflugerville Wellness Center bets you have. Pflugerville Wellness Center knows
that Pflugerville back pain patients many times want to see the source of their pain. (They already believe
their pain!) Currently, imaging doesn’t always fulfill a patient’s desire to see the source
if it’s 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 Pflugerville back pain patients can believe that
their Pflugerville chiropractor will thoroughly explain to
them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to alleviate
that pain.
THE GOOD OF IMAGING
Imaging recommendations today
are all about reducing imaging exposure and
cost. The concern of radiation exposure is being dealt with by carefully examining low back pain patients for more specific indications,
decreasing radiation dose and doing more MRI
than CT. These changes in turn reduce the cost of
imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to hold off on imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Pflugerville Wellness Center 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 a month goes by without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are positive situations for
Pflugerville back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your
Pflugerville chiropractor most of the time.
BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”
Other times (and Pflugerville Wellness Center 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 added
layer of curiosity as it’s “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’s probably why patients and their healthcare
providers like MRI and xrays.
MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING
Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the concept
of imaging for spine problems. Today, medicine is more
and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for instance,
treating physicians depend on imaging to determine the severity of it. Specifically, a group
of researchers looked at the possibility of
how imaging helped visualize the relationship between lumbopelvic
alignment and cervical alignment and subsequent cervical spine
myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its good points. Your Pflugerville
back pain specialist at Pflugerville Wellness Center wants to be sure imaging is appropriate to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ final
recovery and pain relief. We know that “seeing is believing” and
respect what imaging contributes to the treatment plan when necessary.
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness Center
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 Pflugerville chiropractic appointment at
Pflugerville Wellness Center to understand your back pain and
its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or
not because you definitely already believe you
have pain. Pflugerville Wellness Center believes in its relief. You can, too.