Spectre of a Herniated Disc
The spectre of a herniated disc refers to the fear factor which has been build up in the back pain patient population relating to the common occurrence of bulging and ruptured intervertebral discs.
There are no more frightening words in the orthopedic community than "herniated disc" and the effects of these words uttered during back pain diagnosis are far more damaging than one might expect.
When most people injure their backs (or perceive injury to their backs) one of the first ideas which comes to mind is...
"I hope I did not herniate a disc!" Most patients do not know that herniations are incredibly common, especially in the lumbar and cervical spinal regions.
In fact, herniations at L4/L5, L5/S1, C5/C6 and C6/C7 are so prevalent in the patient population, many doctors routinely anticipate finding them on MRI studies whether or not the patient has any history of back pain whatsoever.
The fear of having a herniated disc may just be one of the causative processes involved in many diagnosed disc pain syndromes.
When a person suspects a disc injury or actually has disc damage confirmed via CT scan or spinal MRI, they almost always suffer a downward spiral in their condition.
Most patients report symptoms get worse upon positive confirmation of a herniated disc.
This has been studied exhaustively and has been attributed not to any structural reason, but instead to what is known in psychology as the nocebo effect.
The majority of affected disc pain patients have never heard of the nocebo effect, even though they are likely to be suffering from it.
Everyone knows what a placebo is...
Well, the nocebo effect is exactly the opposite.
While a placebo is a entity which provides a positive effect through completely psychological suggestion, the nocebo provides an equal negative effect through psychological means alone.
This is part of a much larger theory of non-structural based pain commonly called mindbody medicine.
Research statistics show absolutely no correlation between mild to moderate disc issues and the incidence of back pain.
This has led many top doctors to theorize that herniated discs are normal in most cases and have been taking place in the human spine for countless millennia.
They were rarely blamed for pain in the past, since without advanced diagnostic imaging; there was no way to know they existed...
Now, with modern technology, the Cartesian philosophy of back pain is more prevalent than ever in the treatment sector, since structural evidence of supposedly "serious spinal problems" could be presented to each patient.
This would ensure fear, anxiety and continued pain, leading the sufferer to seek ongoing and sometimes drastic treatment for their symptoms, despite the horrific curative results offered by these very same therapies...
There is no doubt in my mind that the only thing keeping the purely Cartesian medical model alive is the extreme profitability of back pain treatments.
It is a well known fact that dorsopathy sufferers rarely recover and usually move from doctor to doctor and treatment to treatment.
Continuing therapies, like chiropractic, are wonderfully profitable over the long term, while "big ticket" treatments, like spinal surgery, are fast and profitable in the short term.
If a non-structural causation of back pain was widely accepted based on the ever growing evidence, it would mean the end of all this medical nonsense...
Translation: no more easy money! The bottom line on the spectre of herniated discs comes down to this simple advice...
Unless your disc issues are extreme, or have been shown without a doubt to be causing pain, do not buy in the hype.
The majority of diagnosed herniated discs do not cause pain or related symptoms and a comparative analysis of expected symptoms versus clinical presentation will prove this in most patients.
Learn the facts for yourself.
After all, there has to be some answer to the usual question, "How come my back still hurts, even tough I have been in treatment for my discs for years?" It is common sense.
The disc is not likely the source of the pain.
There are no more frightening words in the orthopedic community than "herniated disc" and the effects of these words uttered during back pain diagnosis are far more damaging than one might expect.
When most people injure their backs (or perceive injury to their backs) one of the first ideas which comes to mind is...
"I hope I did not herniate a disc!" Most patients do not know that herniations are incredibly common, especially in the lumbar and cervical spinal regions.
In fact, herniations at L4/L5, L5/S1, C5/C6 and C6/C7 are so prevalent in the patient population, many doctors routinely anticipate finding them on MRI studies whether or not the patient has any history of back pain whatsoever.
The fear of having a herniated disc may just be one of the causative processes involved in many diagnosed disc pain syndromes.
When a person suspects a disc injury or actually has disc damage confirmed via CT scan or spinal MRI, they almost always suffer a downward spiral in their condition.
Most patients report symptoms get worse upon positive confirmation of a herniated disc.
This has been studied exhaustively and has been attributed not to any structural reason, but instead to what is known in psychology as the nocebo effect.
The majority of affected disc pain patients have never heard of the nocebo effect, even though they are likely to be suffering from it.
Everyone knows what a placebo is...
Well, the nocebo effect is exactly the opposite.
While a placebo is a entity which provides a positive effect through completely psychological suggestion, the nocebo provides an equal negative effect through psychological means alone.
This is part of a much larger theory of non-structural based pain commonly called mindbody medicine.
Research statistics show absolutely no correlation between mild to moderate disc issues and the incidence of back pain.
This has led many top doctors to theorize that herniated discs are normal in most cases and have been taking place in the human spine for countless millennia.
They were rarely blamed for pain in the past, since without advanced diagnostic imaging; there was no way to know they existed...
Now, with modern technology, the Cartesian philosophy of back pain is more prevalent than ever in the treatment sector, since structural evidence of supposedly "serious spinal problems" could be presented to each patient.
This would ensure fear, anxiety and continued pain, leading the sufferer to seek ongoing and sometimes drastic treatment for their symptoms, despite the horrific curative results offered by these very same therapies...
There is no doubt in my mind that the only thing keeping the purely Cartesian medical model alive is the extreme profitability of back pain treatments.
It is a well known fact that dorsopathy sufferers rarely recover and usually move from doctor to doctor and treatment to treatment.
Continuing therapies, like chiropractic, are wonderfully profitable over the long term, while "big ticket" treatments, like spinal surgery, are fast and profitable in the short term.
If a non-structural causation of back pain was widely accepted based on the ever growing evidence, it would mean the end of all this medical nonsense...
Translation: no more easy money! The bottom line on the spectre of herniated discs comes down to this simple advice...
Unless your disc issues are extreme, or have been shown without a doubt to be causing pain, do not buy in the hype.
The majority of diagnosed herniated discs do not cause pain or related symptoms and a comparative analysis of expected symptoms versus clinical presentation will prove this in most patients.
Learn the facts for yourself.
After all, there has to be some answer to the usual question, "How come my back still hurts, even tough I have been in treatment for my discs for years?" It is common sense.
The disc is not likely the source of the pain.
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