Posts Tagged ‘herniated disc new-fairfield nm’
Welcome to Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center's herniated disc new-fairfield nm Archive. Here you can learn more about Chiropractic Life and Wellness Center, Chiropractic, and Dr. Brandon Chorney, today's choice for Chiropractors in New Fairfield, CT. Read Dr. Brandon Chorney's Chiropractic herniated disc new-fairfield nm for the health of it.
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Mar 1, 2016 | Health Articles
Healthcare in the US continues to deteriorate. Unfortunately, like a "boiling frog," we are becoming more complacent as the costs for lower coverage insurance rises. These costs not only affect our wallets, but also the loss of time and productivity spent waiting at the doctor's office. Waiting times can often be an hour or more....
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Mar 26, 2015 | Health Articles
March Madness is Here! If you are a sports fan you know that the excitement of any play off season has our bodies filled with adrenaline and reliving the good ole days. If we have remained active and are in a conditioned state the activities will be less severe but even then our susceptibility to...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Mar 12, 2015 | Health Articles
Healthcare in the US at the moment is in shambles. Rising costs for insurance with less and less coverage. When it comes to our health and health strategies we are being more careful and critical of our options. So what happens when you are suffering with excruciating back pain and you are offered a replacement of a degenerated intervertebral lumbar disc? Do you simply go for it knowing that success is not guaranteed or look at research on other options that have had great outcomes at a much lower cost.
A Medically Noted Case Study
Previous studies have found rehabilitation programs to have efficacy roughly equal to lumbar fusion when chronic patients are randomized into treatment groups.(1-4) In a research study performed by Dr. Christian Hellum, an orthopedic surgeon from the Department of Orthopedics at Oslo University Hospital, and his colleagues attempted to compare the efficacy of a rehabilitation program to surgery with disc prosthesis.(5) Their results were published by the British Medical Journal. The researchers randomized 173 patients into two treatment groups. The surgical intervention consisted of replacement of the degenerative intervertebral lumbar disc with an artificial disc – the ProDisc II Synthes Spine. Rehabilitation consisted of three to five weeks of physical workouts plus an emphasis on patient education (e.g. normal reactions to pain, coping strategies, family and social life, working conditions, physiology of the back, etc.). An interesting aspect of this study is that it only admitted patients who had already received physical therapy and or chiropractic care for at least six months without sufficient effect. Other studies have defined such patient groups as having “failed” conservative care. Participants all had low back pain for one year or more, an Oswestry disability index of 30 or greater, age 25-55, and disc degeneration. The research group pre-defined a clinically significant difference as a treatment effect of 10 in the Oswestry disability index (where treatment effect was calculated as the difference between groups in mean change from baseline). At two-year follow-up, the researchers found the difference between rehabilitation and disc prosthesis surgery not clinically significant. The outcome concluded that the differences between the surgery and rehabilitation groups did not reach statistical significance: general health status, mental summary, fear avoidance belief questionnaire, emotional distress, drug consumption, and return to work. Dr. Christian Hellum further concluded that even with this patient group, it is reasonable to consider rehabilitation. This group consisted of patients with chronic low back pain for more than a year, degenerative disc involvement, and having already received physical therapy for six months or more. He further pointed out the much lower cost of rehabilitation, the higher recuperation time and risk factors of surgical intervention. Surgeries in this study had an 8% complication rate and a 6.5% reoperation rate. Negative sequela of surgery included a lower leg amputation secondary to compartment syndrome, retrograde ejaculation, sensory loss, and radicular pain.
Understanding Your Options
If you are faced with this important decision remember that the decision is yours and to be aware that least invasive first maybe the key to the true path of recovery.
Our expert chiropractic team specializes in spinal restorative care has been designed to offer the best recommendation and make available the full treatments on site in a warm state-of-the-art environment. Call today. We are ready to help you explore your healthcare options.
References 1. Brox JL, Sorensen R, Friis A, et al. Randomized clinical trial of lumbar instrumented fusion and cognitive intervention and exercises in patients with chronic low back pain and disc degeneration. Spine 2003; 28: 1913-21. 2. Brox JL, Reikeras O, Nygaard O, et al. Lumbar instrumented fusion compared with cognitive intervention and exercises in patients with chronic back pain after previous surgery for disc herniation: a prospective randomized controlled study. Pain 2006; 133: 145-55. 3. Fairbank J, Frost H, Wilson-MacDonald J, et al. Randomised controlled trial to compare surgical stabilisation of the lumbar spine with an intensive rehabilitation programme for patients with chronic low back pain: the MRC spine stabilisation trial. BMJ 2005; 330: 1233. 4. Brox JL, Nygaard O, Holm I, Keller A, Four-year follow-up of surgical versus non-surgical therapy for chronic low back pain. Ann Rheum Dis 2009; 69: 1643-8. 5. Hellum C, Johnsen L, Storheim K, et al. Surgery with disc prosthesis versus rehabilitation in patients with low back pain and degenerative disc: two year follow-up of randomised study. BMJ 2011; 342d2786.
by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Dec 4, 2014 | Health Articles
If you think about the mechanics of your neck, you’ll realize it’s not surprising how easily it can be injured. It has amazing flexibility, is constantly on the move, has very little muscular support, but has to support the 14 - 16 pounds of your head. It is like balancing a bowling ball on a...
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by Dr. Brandon Chorney | Aug 7, 2014 | Health Articles
Very often patients present in our office with what they have described as a “slipped disc”. As with the fairy tale of slipped discs they are also searching for the magic wand to wave and fix the severe pain that is attributed to this “slipped” disc. Thank goodness we are trained experts in helping you not only know fact from fiction but hold the knowledge and tools to help you recapture the quality of life you desire.
From the Beginning
First of all, a little basic anatomy is useful. Spinal discs are weight-bearing shock absorbers. They contain a jelly-like ball-bearing center, which is surrounded by tough fibrous cartilage, arranged in concentric, criss-crossing circles. These rings of fibrous tissue separate each vertebra, permitting the natural curves of the spine and to allow us to turn and bend. A disc can thin, wedge, protrude or tear, but thankfully they don’t slip.
As a person gets older, the discs naturally lose some of their water content, and cracks and fissures naturally develop in the fibrous cartilage. If a weight-bearing stress is unusual and unexpected, the gel-like material in the center of the disc can push through one of the fissures and possibly irritate a spinal nerve.
If enough of this material pushes through, the nerve can become inflamed and cause symptoms such as radiating pain, numbness, and possibly weakness in an extremity, for example a leg.
Typically, such pain and/or numbness will radiate down the leg, traveling below the knee and possibly into the foot.
Such symptoms, with or without back pain, are highly suggestive of an inflamed spinal nerve. In fact, the person will usually say the leg symptoms are much worse and of greater concern than any back pain that may be present. If a MRI confirms the disc herniation and suggests an inflamed nerve, the diagnosis is complete.
Understanding the Two Most Common Types
We generally see two types of problems:
1. Bulging Disc: A weakened area of the ring allows the centers to bulge and put pressure on nearby nerves.
2. Herniated Disc: The herniated or ruptured disc is more serious and commonly seen in the lower back. The disc’s soft center pushes out through an area weakened by trauma or degeneration.
What to Expect
In the best scenario, conservative treatment may be sufficient and the nerve inflammation improves with time. Ice and anti-inflammatory medication may be helpful in conjunction with chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic spinal adjustments may include physical therapeutic modalities and gentle trigger point therapy to relieve associated muscle spasms. If you qualify you may be able to avail of spinal decompression therapy. This option, if available, after thorough examinations will be discussed with you. If a disc is involved patience and proper treatment must stay consistent for 6-8 weeks.
The Good News
Chiropractic care offers a natural, non-surgical resolution for many disc problems and is worth trying before more drastic measures.
If you or someone you know is facing disc surgery be sure to send them our way first for a possible all-natural solution. We are ready to help!
Very often patients present in our office with what they have described as a “slipped disc”. As with the fairy tale of slipped discs they are also searching for the magic wand to wave and fix the severe pain that is attributed to this “slipped” disc. Thank goodness we are trained experts in helping you not only know fact from fiction but hold the knowledge and tools to help you recapture the quality of life you desire.