Baton Rouge Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care
Studying the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers who have MRIs noting some changes in the spine can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal exam. Baton Rouge neck pain with imaging-revealed changes in the cervical spine will receive a treatment plan based on both imaging (if/when available) and clinical exam findings.
MRI is an amazing technology. It is used commonly to evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. When spine pain persists even with care for an extended period of time, performing imaging is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be correlated with the clinical symptomatology seen in the clinical exam to guide the care for optimal relief. Modic Changes – vertebral bone endplate and bone marrow changes - are commonly noted when radiologists read the MRI and classify the level of disc degeneration: level 1 being the least degenerated and level 3 being the most degenerated. More lumbar spine studies have been done to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are fewer. A review of 14 research studies regarding the connection between neck pain and/or cervical spine disc degeneration to MRI-revealed Modic changes reported that cervical spine Modic changes were present in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs revealed Modic changes expressed more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, an MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients stated that no system of classification of cervical disc degeneration showed any relationship to clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did explain that vertebral endplate changes may be linked to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Disc degeneration and vertebral changes causing pain can be addressed with chiropractic care.
TREATMENT PLANNING
When [[companyname treats patients with MRI imaging presenting Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have faced correlating effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies already published about the treatment of Modic change related back pain, in this review it was low back pain, revealed that spinal manipulation was advocated as an option. The review listed insufficient support for medication use and rigid lumbar brace wearing, antibiotics’ use as controversial, and low evidence for exercise therapy to lower pain intensity. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One treatment your Baton Rouge chiropractor competently and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or in spite of imaging. Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers stays the course with what our experience tells us helps our patients.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his patient with cervical spine disc degeneration and herniation that allowed him to avoid spine surgery.
Make your next Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment with Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers. MRIs and Modic changes won’t confuse your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving cervical spine treatment plan.
