Question
I have had an mri about a year ago and it showed bulging discs on multiple locations and that i had degenerative disc disease and spinal stenosis. Would a chiropractor be a good choice or I have read about the laser spine institute which one or what other options do i have?

Answer
Dear Jodi,

First and foremost you have  serious health issues with the combination of all three you should seek care as soon as possible. One of the things that amazes me about the human body is that I have seen conditions such as yours and the patient has minimal pain and I have seen people with the same situation that experience excruciating pain. My point being that if are not experiencing much pain or if you have pain for a short period of time and then  it goes away can be a dangerous scenario. My point being that you have a health issue that is concered degenerative. This actually means it will get progressively worse with time whether you are experiencing pain or not. So there is no quick fix for your situation and you should realize that once you get your condition under control your health care provider should have a plan to tprovide proper care for your neck over the long term. There has to be an ongoing treatment program for your condition.

With that said I always suggest conservative care first so I would opt for Chiropractic care first. However following your examination the Chiropractor may refer you to a medical doctor if he feels it necessary. Obviously with the combination of disc bulge, degeneration and stenosis manipulation must be administered with the highest of skill levels. I would suggest that you find a chiropractor that you feel confident with and have been referred to by a close friend. I would go as far as to find a chiropractor who practices instrument adjusting. These instruments are really quite safe for your condition. These instruments to name a few are called ProAdjuster, Activator, Pulstar or Arthrostim.

As far as the Laser Spine Institute goes I am unaware of what Laser procedure that you would undergo. For instance if it is laser surgery then I would say to try conservative measures first.If it is cold laser for pain relief I would consider that conservative care. I am not saying that i wouldn't recommend them I am saying that there is a myriad of laser treatments from laser surgery to cold laser. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a consultation to find out what procedure they recommend. Quite possibly I could shed some more light on your question once you have a consultation with the laser institute and or a chiropractor. Either way you will need a follow up plan to arrest further degeneration of your condition.

I hope this information is helpful.

Dr John Quackenbush