Slipped Disc

Mr S contacted me at Eden Chiropractic clinic in September 2003 with a ‘prolapsed disc’, which happened in August 2003. He had gone to see an orthopaedic consultant who strongly recommended that surgery was performed, for what he described as a ‘massive’ prolapse of the disc. He said that patient could see a chiropractor but that that was against his advice – he thought manipulation might do more harm than good – and repeated his firm recommendation that the only solution for the problem was surgery!

This is the result of the first MRI scan, performed in September 2003 was:

Conclusion:
'...these appearances would be consistent with a large centro lateral disc prolapse at the L5/S1 level causing impingement (‘trapped’) of the the right S1 nerve root'

My letter back to the surgeon on the 22nd of September 2003 stated the following:

'...Mr S has had 3 chiropractic treatments to date and is much improved. The sciatica (‘leg pain’) is almost gone at times and strength is returning to the right calf muscles. The treatment has been modified for the specific condition and does NOT involve any traditional chiropractic manipulation, but is called ‘Cox Distraction Technique’, especially created for ‘slipped’ disc conditions'

A new MRI scan was performed in December 2003 and revealed the following:

Conclusion:
'..these appearances would be consistent with compression of the right S1 nerve root and evidence of an annular tear. These appearances have however improved significantly when compared with the previous scans.’'

Mr S had his ‘two year anniversary’ the other day, and, after having had regular chiropractic check-ups every 2 months since 2003, taking his Glucosamine and Chondroitin and keeping fit, is virtually 100 % recovered and can do almost everything without trouble, including taking care of a lovely newborn baby at home (which is hard on the spine!).

Chiropractor’s comment:

This case especially show how MRI scan results are important for us to have the correct diagnosis but to still try conservative treatments, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, before surgery is performed. It should, in most cases be the last resort, and therefore creating a working relationship with different health specialists is vital, as each may be able to contribute to the patient’s ultimate improvement.

Another important note to this case is cost:

The surgery is about £10,000, plus potential aftercare, like rehabilitation and time off work, in addition to the cost of the surgeon’s consultations and scans, we are possibly looking at £15,000 – £20,000 or more.

The total cost for the chiropractic care, plus some rehabilitation (muscle tests) for the past two years is about £1,000!

WORTH THINKING ABOUT!