Posted on 2009-09-24 12:21:50
In the investigative part of our exams, through diagnostic imaging such as X-rays, we find that most people’s spinal health issues describe a different picture. An x-ray tells the physician a lot about an individual’s spinal health in past, present and future tense. Example: degenerative disc disease, degenerative joint disease, scoliosis, spondylothesis are frequent indicators seen on an x-ray. These conditions take many years to develop and usually start without symptoms. There may be a specific accident or incident that the patient remembered that started the spinal problem, but in most cases the patient heals from the trauma and the symptoms go away. This is where patients feel they are better and “fixed” from their problems. The problem with this is, if the spinal or joint injury never healed properly, over time the condition will worsen and end up degenerative. The point of the matter is this, most conditions that are presented in a chiropractic office are chronic in nature and if the condition is acute prior to their visit, the condition was chronic and getting progressively worse before they noticed the symptoms. Understanding these concepts first, and revealing these conditions to the patient, will support the reasoning behind treatment plans and why one or two visits don’t fix the condition. More next time!