Spine & Sports Rehab Center welcomes
Baton Rouge neck pain patients with cervical spine disc
herniations that cause arm pain radiculopathy. Non-surgical care
of arm pain radiculopathy helps Baton Rouge neck pain and arm pain sufferers find
some relief without surgery.
CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY
In setting up a treatment plan for for
cervical spine-related arm pain (aka cervical
radiculopathy), research guidelines describe conservative
management as a first-line treatment alternative over surgery.
Clinically, cervical radiculopathy can present as motor
change, paresthesia, reflex change, numbness and/or sensory change. Researchers have been collaborating
to establish guidelines for its non-surgical management and treatment
at various stages of pain including acute, subacute, and
chronic. (1) Spine & Sports Rehab Center considers such guidelines in planning non-surgical treatment
for our Baton Rouge chiropractic patients.
GUIDELINES FOR TREATING CERVICAL DISC HERNIATIONS
In presenting 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. In looking at
care of cervical radiculopathy through its phases, the
non-surgical interventions’ guidelines move from more passive care in the acute phase to chronic/more active,
individualized, self-managed care. Specifically, for the acute
stage, multimodal management involving spinal manipulation, patient
education, exercise, and positioning that relieves the
pain were effective. For subacute cervical
radiculopathy, enhanced specific exercises, supervised motor
control motions and/or mobilization may be added. For chronic pain, general aerobic exercise and
strength training, postural instruction, and ergonomic assessment of
job-related activities may be included}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 – reported motor deficits before treatment. (3) A
spine surgeon described a case report of a patient headed for cervical spine discectomy/fusion surgery
for a C4-C5 disc herniation whose repeated MRI showed that the disc had resorbed, rendering surgery unnecessary.
The researcher conceded that more research was available
on the reduction
of lumbar disc herniations seen on MRI by 34.7% to 95% over 6 to 17 months
and total resorption of the disc in 43% to 75% yet postulated
that cervical disc herniations were likely to do
the same. (4) Like the author,
Spine & Sports Rehab Center holds out hope for our cervical disc herniation and cervical
radiculopathy patients that surgery may not be required. Our
conservative Baton Rouge chiropractic treatment will quite possibly help healing.
CONTACT Spine & Sports Rehab Center
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 Baton Rouge chiropractic
appointment soon. Cervical radiculopathy and cervical disc
herniation sufferers have a pain-relieving partner at our
office.