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Back Pain Relief – A Case Study!
By Dr. Deane Moore
In our office, we see quite a few patients who suffer with lower back structural disc problems (bulging, herniated, protrusions, and ruptures). These patients usually are suffering with back pain and some form of radiculopathy (sciatica type symptoms) that travel into a leg or foot. In this issue let’s look at a case study of what one of our patients went through to conservatively correct his condition.
Meet patient John B. He is a 46 year old male who works at a desk most of the day. He presented to our office with symptoms of lower back pain with cramping into his posterior right leg and numbness into the same foot. Over the past couple years, he has tried prescription pain killers and anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone shots, physical therapy, traditional chiropractic, yoga, acupuncture, massage, and exercise. Some of the above mentioned strategies have given him a little bit of symptomatic relief, but the pain always returned. His most recent MRI revealed a herniated disc at L5-S1 which is contacting his S1 nerve on the right.
Why is he in our office?
He seems to have tried everything short of surgery. We take a little different approach than most and I explained to him that our office focuses on not only the structural correction of the disc, but the spine as well. Why is this important? Well if you car was out of alignment and you just put new tires on without fixing the alignment, then the car is not going to perform as well as it should and those new tires are going to have a shortened life span. The spine is the Core and Foundation that dictates the function of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and DISCS. “Fixing” a disc and leaving an abnormal spine is another temporary solution and a recipe for the return of pain.
During the exam, John can see the indicators of structural abnormalities. The first indicator was a short leg due to structural collapse of one of his feet that caused his pelvis to be tipped and rotated to one direction putting abnormal compression onto one side of the disc. The second indicator was a significant loss of the normal lumbar lordosis (normal side curve) causing increased compression on the discs. Two of the indicators were so obvious for the patient to see in the exam, he wondered why nobody else had mentioned this to him.
There were more findings in this exam, but let’s focus on those two. Since there was a structural component to the injury, anything but structural correction will only give short term relief at best. Everything else the patient had tried previously might be successful for simple inflammation and weak muscles, but they didn't address the primary cause: Structural Dysfunction.
Even if this patient had spinal surgery, it would not have fixed his structure. He would have been left with a weakened foundation (the spine) and most likely, problems in the future.
You might be thinking at this point, "How do you fix this person's structure and disc?" Again, every case is different. It’s not a cookie cutter approach. In this case, we needed to give the patient a treatment plan that corrected, as much as possible, all the abnormalities we found. The treatment plan included Non Surgical Spinal Decompression to aid in the healing of the L5 disc and gently create a negative pressure in that disc to pull the herniation off the S1 nerve and back into the disc. This therapy is very successful for the correct candidate but will fall short if the spinal structure is left unchanged. John also received specific structural corrective adjustments, spinal remolding, manual soft tissue therapy, and structural corrective exercises.
The patient was also given complimentary recommendations to ensure better results. These included: custom foot corrector inserts to wear in his shoes to help balance his pelvis, a lumbar decompression belt to reduce compressive forces on the L5 disc, ergonomic changes at his work station along with a better back support for his chair. Lifestyle and nutritional modifications were reviewed and reinforced to minimize any unnecessary flare-ups.
The end result was a very happy patient with a new lease on life! It’s been 2 years and he still remains symptom free.
If you think you or someone you know has a structural problem, disc problem, or sciatica, give our office a call at 781-826-5555. Consultations are complementary. It’s a conversation, not a commitment.
Dr. Deane Moore
Dr. Deane Moore is the owner of Moore Family Chiropractic in Hanover. He is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West and has been in practice for over 12 years. He is a Distinguished Fellow of Clinical Biomechanics of Posture and has extensive knowledge and experience in treating patients with spinal and disc injuries utilizing the latest technologies.
For more information about Spinal Decompression please call:
(781)826-5555 or visit
www.moorefamilychiropractic.com
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