OrthoIllinois Chiropractic cares for
McHenry neck pain patients with cervical spine disc
herniations that cause arm pain radiculopathy. Non-surgical care
of arm pain radiculopathy helps McHenry neck pain and arm pain sufferers find
some relief without surgery.
CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY
In managing for
cervical spine-related arm pain (aka cervical
radiculopathy), research guidelines state conservative
management as a first-line treatment option over surgery.
Clinically, cervical radiculopathy can present as motor
change, paresthesia, reflex change, numbness and/or sensory change. Researchers have been working
to establish guidelines for its non-surgical management and treatment
at various stages of pain including acute, subacute, and
chronic. (1) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic uses such guidelines in planning non-surgical treatment
for our McHenry chiropractic patients.
GUIDELINES FOR TREATING CERVICAL DISC HERNIATIONS
In reporting the non-surgical
guidelines, researchers described the risk-benefit ratio for
surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy as less beneficial
than for non-surgical, conservative care. When studying the
care of cervical radiculopathy through its stages, the
non-surgical interventions’ guidelines shift from more passive care in the acute phase to more active, individualized, self-managed
care in the chronic phase. Particularly, for the acute
stage, multimodal management including spinal manipulation, patient
education, exercise, and positioning that alleviates the
pain were effective. For subacute cervical
radiculopathy, increased specific exercises, supervised motor
control motions and/or mobilization may be incorporated. For chronic pain, general aerobic exercise and
strength training, postural instruction, and ergonomic assessment of
job-related activities may be incorporated}29}. (2) We find
that our neck and arm pain patients are ready for activities
like this that allow them to return to living.
TIME AND THE CERVICAL DISC HERNIATION
Overall, in one systematic review study, 56.4%
of degenerative cervical radiculopathy patients - 39.1% of conservatively
treated patients and 60.5% of surgically treated patients – experienced motor deficits prior to treatment. (3) A
spine surgeon described a case report of a patient who
was ready to undergo cervical spine discectomy/fusion surgery
for a C4-C5 disc herniation whose repeated MRI showed that the disc had resorbed, making surgery needless.
The researcher conceded that more research was accessible
on lumbar disc herniations’ reducing as seen on MRI by 34.7% to 95% over 6 to 17 months
and total resolution of the disc in 43% to 75% yet postulated
that cervical disc herniations were apt to do
the same. (4) Like the author,
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic holds out hope for our cervical disc herniation and cervical
radiculopathy patients that surgery may not be necessary. Our
conservative McHenry chiropractic treatment may
well help healing.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Umar Ellahie on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes cervical radiculopathy and its relieving care with
The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Make your McHenry chiropractic
appointment soon. Cervical radiculopathy and cervical disc
herniation sufferers have a pain-relieving partner at our
clinic.