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

Studying the cervical spine of neck pain sufferers with MRI imaging can be interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive for treatment planning. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre always considers imaging through the lens of the clinical symptomatology and spinal exam. Toronto 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, having imaging done is logical and follows today’s guidelines for back pain management. The imaging findings must be correlated with the clinical symptomatology seen in the clinical exam to direct 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. More lumbar spine 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 seen in 5% to 40% of the images. Patients whose MRIs showed Modic changes described more neck pain and disability. Their imaging also showed more cervical disc degeneration. (1) Recently, an 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 connected to clinical symptom presentations. (2) Chiropractic care can help pain due to disc degeneration and vertebral changes.

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 currently 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 use of medication and rigid lumbar brace wearing, antibiotics’ use as controversial, and low evidence for exercise therapy to lower pain intensity. (3) Talk about imaging being interesting, confusing, and/or (non)directive! One thing your Toronto chiropractor knowledgeably and safely delivers is spinal manipulation for neck pain and back pain relief often before and/or despite imaging. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre keeps doing what works for our patients.

CONTACT Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre

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 Toronto chiropractic appointment with Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre. MRIs and Modic changes will not mislead your chiropractor when it comes to setting up a neck pain relieving cervical spine treatment plan.