New Roads Cervical Spine Pain: MRI-Seen Changes, & Plan for Care

Analyzing the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers who have MRIs noting some changes in the spine can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. New Roads Chiropractic Center always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal examination. New Roads 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 persists even with 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 review the MRI and classify the level of disc degeneration with level 1 being the least degenerated and level 3 being the most degenerated. In the lumbar spine, more studies have been done to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are fewer. A review of 14 research studies about 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 showed Modic changes expressed more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also demonstrated more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, 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 linked to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Disc degeneration and vertebral changes causing pain can be addressed with chiropractic care.

TREATMENT PLANNING 

When [[companyname treats patients with MRI imaging presenting Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have faced correlating effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies previously published about the treatment of Modic change associated 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 low evidence for exercise therapy to lower pain intensity. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One treatment your New Roads chiropractor proficiently and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or in spite of imaging. New Roads Chiropractic Center keeps doing what works for our patients.

CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares 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.

Schedule your next New Roads chiropractic appointment with New Roads Chiropractic Center. MRIs and Modic changes won’t mislead your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving cervical spine treatment plan.