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

Analyzing the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers with MRI imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal examination. Groton neck pain with imaging-revealed changes in the cervical spine will get 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, doing imaging 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 direct the care for optimal relief. Modic Changes – vertebral bone endplate and bone marrow changes - are typically 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. In the lumbar spine, more studies have been performed to correlate back pain symptoms with imaging findings. In the cervical spine, the studies are fewer. A review of 14 research studies about the link 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 described more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also demonstrated more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Of late, one MRI study of cervical spines of neck pain and shoulder stiffness patients stated that no system of classification of cervical disc degeneration showed any relationship to clinical symptoms. However, the researchers did explain that vertebral endplate changes may be connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Disc degeneration and vertebral changes causing pain can be addressed with chiropractic care.

TREATMENT PLANNING 

When it comes to chiropractic treatment of patients with MRI imaging displaying Modic changes, researchers and clinicians have been challenged to correlate effective non-surgical treatment options. Review of studies already published about the care 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 listed insufficient support for medication use and rigid lumbar brace wearing, antibiotics’ use as controversial, and exercise therapy’s use to reduce back pain intensity as having low evidence support. (3) Do you see how imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive? One thing your Groton chiropractor knowledgeably and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or despite imaging. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office stays the course with what we see helps our patients.

CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Matthew Scott on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains 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 Groton chiropractic appointment with Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office. MRIs and Modic changes will not confuse your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving cervical spine treatment plan.