Vancouver Disc Centers Understands How Images Help a Back Pain Patient

“Seeing is believing.” Ever heard that saying before? Vancouver Disc Centers bets you have. Vancouver Disc Centers understands that Vancouver back pain patients often would like to see the cause of their pain. (They believe they have pain by now!) Today, imaging doesn’t always fulfill a patient’s desire to see the cause if it is the result 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 Vancouver back pain patients can believe that their Vancouver chiropractor will thoroughly tell them the cause of their pain…and set a treatment plan to alleviate that pain.

THE GOOD OF IMAGING

Today’s imaging recommendations seem to be all about decreasing imaging exposure and cost. The concern of radiation exposure is being dealt with by carefully examining low back pain patients for more specific findings, reducing radiation dose and performing more MRI than CT. These changes in turn decrease the cost of imaging. (1) Recommendations today are to hold off on imaging for 6-8 weeks of conservative treatment. Vancouver Disc Centers has followed the Cox Technic System of Spinal Pain Management which suggests holding off on imaging (in the absence of "red flags" which a thorough clinical examination finds) for 30 days during which time 50% improvement is sought. If 30 days pass without such improvement, imaging is ordered. These are win-win scenarios for Vancouver back pain patients and their healthcare providers like your Vancouver chiropractor most of the time.

BACK PAIN SUFFERERS WANT TO “SEE”

Other times (and Vancouver Disc Centers totally understands this!) patients want to “see” their diagnosis. Words and descriptions and drawings are one thing, but imaging is much more personal. When it comes to non-specific back pain, there is an added layer of curiosity as it’s “non-specific” and does not always have a glaring cause for the pain. The public and patients believe imaging helps determine the back pain condition. They are not alone as some healthcare professionals do, too. (2) That’s probably why patients and their healthcare providers want MRI and xrays.

MEDICINE AND SPINAL IMAGING

Interestingly, for years, medicine downplayed the concept of imaging for spine problems. Today, medicine becomes more and more interested in it. For cervical spine myelopathy, for instance, treating physicians rely on imaging to determine 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 Vancouver back pain specialist at Vancouver Disc Centers wants to be sure imaging is positively contributory to the treatment plan for our back pain patients’ final recovery and pain relief. We realize that “seeing is believing” and respect what imaging brings to the treatment plan when necessary.

CONTACT Vancouver Disc 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 Vancouver chiropractic appointment at Vancouver Disc Centers to understand your back pain and its relieving treatment plan whether you can see its source or not because you definitely already believe you have pain. Vancouver Disc Centers believes in its relief. You can, too.