Problems that Exist Without Pain Reveal the Need for Chiropractic Beyond Pain Relief

Problems that Exist Without Pain Reveal the Need for Chiropractic Beyond Pain Relief


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The study aimed to determine whether subjects with persistent or recurrent neck and shoulder pain were more likely to have abnormal MRI findings of the cervical spine than those without pain. Two radiologists assessed the MRI images of all subjects without any awareness regarding the presence or absence of pain in any of the subjects. The results of the study were quite counter intuitive and very remarkable. The findings were as follows: 

• Magnetic resonance imaging wisdom most sensitive technique for showing early pathologic changes in cervical spine. 

• The aim of this present study was to examine whether symptomatic young adults had more pathological MRI changes in cervical spine then asymptomatic subjects of the same age. 

• The degrees of disc degeneration, disc annular tears, disc herniations, and disc protrusions were assessed. 

• The results showed that pathological changes of the cervical spine in a 24 to 27-year-old population were equally common in symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects. 

• Disc herniations were the only finding significantly associated with neck pain, as all four disc herniations detected were found in symptomatic subjects. In the group with no current or previous back or neck pain, the following findings were noted: Disc Protrusion - present in 87% of subjects Disc Degeneration - present in 73% of subjects Disc Annular Tear - present in 63% of subjects Disc Herniation - present in 0% of subjects In the group with recurrent or persistent neck and/or shoulder pain, the following findings were noted: Disc Protrusion - present in 69% of subjects Disc Degeneration - present in 56% of subjects Disc Annular Tear - present in 50% of subjects Disc Herniation - present in 25% of subjects 

• The findings in the study are in agreement with others, in that abnormal MRI findings are common in asymptomatic subjects. 

• In the study, disc degeneration and disc protrusion were more common findings in the non-symptomatic group then in the symptomatic group. 

• In conclusion, pathophysiological changes of the cervical spine verified on MRI seem not to explain any remarkable part of the occurrence of neck and shoulder pain in young adults. 

Chiropractors address the cause of problems instead of simply alleviating the symptoms. This premise sets the foundation for which chiropractic stands upon. Many other conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, early stages of cancer, and even cavities typically occur with no outward signs, symptoms, or pain. The spine is no different. The cause of most problems that Chiropractors care for take on a similar path. This study shows how much damage can be present in the spine with no pain. Chiropractors are one of the few healthcare providers which focus a large part of their practices on helping patients with no pain or symptoms get well and stay well by addressing the underlying cause. This research helps validate the necessity of spinal care with or without the presence of pain or other symptoms.

From a study published in the European Spine Journal called “MRI changes of the cervical spine in asymptomatic and symptomatic young adults”.

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