I am excited to tell you all about a very interesting
seminar I had the opportunity to attend this weekend. The University
of Washington Seattle
The majority of the attendees were medical providers with
specialties such as physiatry, neurosurgury, orthopedic surgury,
anesthesiologists as well as physical therapists.
The in-depth lectures offered a broad range of topics
including surgical treatment options, genetic factors, biomedical engineering,
and non-surgical discussions. I was
thoroughly impressed by the discussion that occurred throughout the
seminar. It was a great presentation with
open question forums.
The lectures illustrated that some treatment options like surgery
may reverse some “sciatica” symptoms, but may not reverse chronic back pain
associated with disc injuries. For people with advancing neurological symptoms surgery
may be necessary but for non-progressive cases non-invasive options may be a
better choice. The lectures reaffirmed
that discs have no blood supply. In
order to get nutrients, discs need to have movement. Therefore, reducing restrictive forces such
as muscle spasms and then supplementing damaged discs with motion to improve
the flow of nutrients into and out of the discs is a beneficial non-invasive
treatment for disc bulges.
The information presented included some of the most advanced
research on the physiology of discs and the potential sources of pain. I feel that it is my duty as a Chiropractor
to provide the best care for my patients.
An important component of this is to stay on top of the most current
literature in order to continue to develop my knowledge base as well as develop
working relationships with other health providers. This seminar exceeded all of these goals.
