OrthoIllinois Chiropractic Understands How Images Help a Back Pain Patient

“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard that saying before? OrthoIllinois Chiropractic bets you have. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic knows that McHenry back pain patients many times want to see the cause of their pain. (They believe they have pain by now!) Today, imaging does not always fulfill 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 satisfying a patient’s desire to see what’s going on. But McHenry back pain patients can believe that their McHenry 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 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 indications, decreasing radiation dose and performing 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. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic has followed the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which suggests holding off on imaging (in the absence of "red flags" which a thorough clinical examination finds) for 30 days during which time 50% improvement is sought. If 30 days pass without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are win-win situations for McHenry back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your McHenry chiropractor most of the time.

BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”

Other times (and OrthoIllinois Chiropractic 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 is likely why patients and their healthcare providers want MRI and xrays.

MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING

Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the idea of imaging for spine issues. Today, medicine is more and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for example, treating physicians depend on imaging to determine its severity. Specifically, a group of researchers looked at the possibility of how imaging helped visualize the relationship between lumbopelvic alignment and cervical alignment and resulting cervical spine myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its positives. Your McHenry back pain specialist at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic wants to be sure imaging is positively contributory to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ final recovery and pain relief. We know that “seeing is believing” and respect what imaging brings to the treatment plan when necessary.

CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Dan Clark on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains how valuable imaging can be for a patient’s treatment plan and final outcome of care.

Schedule your McHenry chiropractic appointment at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic to more fully comprehend your back pain and its relieving treatment plan whether you can see the cause or not because you definitely already believe you have pain. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic believes in its relief. You can, too.