Oxford Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care
Studying the cervical spine of neck pain patients with MRI imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Satterwhite Chiropractic always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal examination. Oxford 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 continues without relief while undergoing care for an extended period of time, having imaging done is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be linked with the clinical symptomatology found 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 scarcer. A review of 14 research studies regarding the connection between neck pain and/or cervical spine disc degeneration to MRI-revealed Modic changes described that cervical spine Modic changes were present in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs revealed Modic changes stated more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Of late, one MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients reported that no system of classification of cervical disc degeneration correlated with clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did explain that vertebral endplate changes may be connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Chiropractic care can help pain due to disc degeneration and vertebral changes.
TREATMENT PLANNING
When it comes to chiropractic treatment of patients with MRI imaging showing Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have faced correlating effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies currently published about the treatment of Modic change related back pain, in this review it was low back pain, revealed that spinal manipulation was proposed as an option. The review recorded insufficient support for use of medication and rigid lumbar brace wearing, controversial use of antibiotics, and exercise therapy’s use to reduce back pain intensity as having low evidence support. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One treatment your Oxford chiropractor knowledgeably and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or despite imaging. Satterwhite Chiropractic stays the course with what we see is good for our patients.
CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the effective, gentle treatment with 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 Oxford chiropractic appointment with Satterwhite Chiropractic. MRIs and Modic changes will not confuse your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving treatment plan for your cervical spine issues.
