Tests – what are they good for?
When it comes to back pain tests, of
MRIs that question must be asked. What are MRIs good
for when the proportion
of useful, influential MRI studies is so minor?
False positive MRI results upset those who get
these results. They arouse fear or caution where it
is not always warranted. MRIs like this blur the
proper treatment plan. They cost quite a bit.
Apple Country Chiropractic carefully evaluates the necessity of
MRI in the Williamson chiropractic treatment plan of Williamson
back pain relief.
MEDICINE’S VIEW
MRI interpretations by
radiologists often differ.
The true-positive finding rate was 56.4%, and the miss-rate was 43.6%. (1)
MRI imaging may cause false suspicion. When
following the guidelines of the American College of Radiology, 93% of lumbar
spine MRIs were proper. Of those, only 13% revealed
anything suspicious. Of the 36 MRIs that provoked
suspicion of cancer or infection, 81% were false-positive. 59% of the follow-up
MRIs on those suspicious findings were false positives. (2) MRI imaging may misinform.
For example, MRI demonstrates that the presence of
disc degeneration in asymptomatic persons – persons with no back pain – rises
with age: 37% in 20 year olds and 96% in
80 year olds; disc bulges: 30% to 84%; disc protrusion: 29% to 43%; annular
fissures 19% to 29%. These imaging findings suggest that
these are signs of normal aging. They remind all doctors, remind chiropractors
like yours at Apple Country Chiropractic, to link all such
findings to patient symptoms. (1,3) Your Williamson
chiropractor does this!
CHIROPRACTIC’S VIEW
Choosing Wisely guidelines for American chiropractors suggest30
not repeating spinal imaging and not getting spinal imaging for
patients with acute low back pain in the first 6 weeks of back pain (except when “red flags” are present– issues that indicate
something more sinister). (4) A review of the success
of the Canadian Choosing Wisely recommendations for imaging nonspecific spinal
pain and symptoms stated that there is very low risk of missing
a worrying cause of back pain. (5) The objective
of guidelines is less imaging, fewer false positives. Apple Country Chiropractic wants what’s
best for our Williamson chiropractic care patients.
COX® TECHNIC’S VIEW
Chiropractors like yours at Apple Country Chiropractic review
all the symptoms, tests and images our Williamson chiropractic back
pain patients [[present on|bring with them39] their first Williamson
chiropractic visit. So many back pain patients present to
Apple Country Chiropractic with MRI images already in-hand.
Apple Country Chiropractic will study them but will depend more
on clinical exam findings and correlate them to what the MRI shows.
A rule of thumb with the Cox Technic System of Back Pain Relief is to seek 50% decrease of back pain in the first month
of care before arranging additional imaging or
testing or arranging surgical consultation. (6)
CONTACT Apple Country Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Dan Clark on the Back Doctor’s Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes imaging for back pain in the program of treatment
for pain relief.
Schedule your Williamson chiropractic appointment
with Apple Country Chiropractic today. Let us discover together
the best path to Williamson back pain relief – with or without MRI
imaging!
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."