Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers Understands How Images Help a Back Pain Patient

“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard that saying before? Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers bets you have. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers knows that Baton Rouge back pain patients many times wish to see the source of their pain. (They already believe their pain!) Currently, imaging doesn’t always satisfy a patient’s desire to see the cause 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 Baton Rouge back pain patients can believe that their Baton Rouge chiropractor will thoroughly explain to them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to ease 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 careful examination of low back pain patients for more specific findings, reducing radiation dose and doing more MRI than CT. These changes in turn reduce the cost of imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to no do imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers 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 30 days pass without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are positive scenarios for Baton Rouge back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your Baton Rouge chiropractor most of the time.

BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”

Other times (and Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers totally gets this!) patients want to “see” their diagnosis. Words and descriptions and drawings are one thing while imaging is much more personal. When it comes to non-specific back pain, there is an extra layer of curiosity as it’s “non-specific” and does not always have an obvious cause for the pain. The public and patients believe imaging helps diagnose 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 issues. Today, medicine becomes more and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for example, treating physicians rely on imaging to ascertain the severity of it. Specifically, a group of researchers looked at the possibility of how imaging helped see the relationship between lumbopelvic alignment and cervical alignment and subsequent cervical spine myelopathy severity. (3) Imaging has its good points. Your Baton Rouge back pain specialist at Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers wants to be sure imaging is appropriate to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ ultimate recovery and pain relief. We realize that “seeing is believing” and respect what imaging contributes to the treatment plan when necessary.

CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers

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

Schedule your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment at Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers to more fully comprehend your back pain and its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or not because you definitely already believe you have pain. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers believes in its relief. You can, too.