Connected Chiropractic Cares for Cervical Disc Herniations and Related Radiculopathy
Connected Chiropractic welcomes Elgin neck pain patients due to cervical spine disc herniations that cause arm pain radiculopathy. Non-surgical care of arm pain radiculopathy helps Elgin neck pain and arm pain sufferers find some relief without surgery.
CERVICAL RADICULOPATHY
In caring 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 appear as numbness, paresthesia, motor change, reflex change and/or sensory change. Researchers have been collaborating to establish guidelines for its non-surgical management and treatment at different stages of pain including acute, subacute, and chronic. (1) Connected Chiropractic considers such guidelines in planning non-surgical treatment for our Elgin 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. 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 more active, individualized, self-managed care in the chronic phase. Specifically, for the acute stage, multimodal management involving spinal manipulation, patient education, exercise, and positioning that relieves the pain were helpful. For subacute cervical radiculopathy, enhanced 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 added}29}. (2) We find that our neck and arm pain patients are ready for activities like this that get them back 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 prior to treatment. (3) A spine surgeon presented 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, rendering surgery unnecessary. The researcher conceded that more research was accessible on lumbar disc herniations’ decreasing as 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 apt to do the same. (4) Like the author, Connected Chiropractic holds out hope for our cervical disc herniation and cervical radiculopathy patients that surgery may not be necessary. Our conservative Elgin chiropractic treatment will quite possibly help healing.
CONTACT Connected Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Umar Ellahie on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates cervical radiculopathy and its relieving care with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Elgin chiropractic appointment now. Cervical radiculopathy and cervical disc herniation sufferers experience a pain-relieving partner at our office.
