Healthy News November 2021 Relieving Chiropractic Care for Hyperkyphosis Curves & Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
The spine has its own usual curvature or kyphosis. Aurora Chiropractic Center knows the spine’s curves quite well! Most Juneau chiropractic clients don’t give a second though to the spinal curve, its normalcy or its function, until there is an issue caused by a curve that gets “too” curvy. Consider the thoracic spine, the upper back part of the spine, whose normal kyphosis ranges from 20 to 40 degrees in young people. For 20 to 40% of over-60-year-olds, this kyphosis is documented to grow beyond 40°. This “age-related kyphosis” (aka ‘hyperkyphosis’) affects both men and women but is more frequently described to affect women who have more functional disorders like decreased back extensor muscle strength and use of erector spinal muscles in addition to poor health conditions. (1,2) Spinal manipulation and mobilization of the thoracic spine are common ways chiropractors treat musculoskeletal issues in older adults with conditions like hyperkyphosis. Older spines successfully experienced the SMM forces similar to younger spines in research studies. (3) Fortunately, research describes manual therapy as effective to reduce and avert musculoskeletal problems because of thoracic hyperkyphosis. A recent study noted that such therapy improved the thoracic kyphosis angle, thoracic extension range of motion, and thoracic extension strength. (4) And a bonus: Thoracic mobilization is shown to boost diaphragmatic excursion and respiratory function to manage and avert respiratory dysfunction in patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis. (5) Your Juneau chiropractor delivers gentle, effective, distractive thoracic spine manipulation that both relieves hyperkyphosis and is quite comfortable. Once you feel it, you’ll ask for it again!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Joseph D’Angiolillo on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains gentle distraction treatment of upper spine pain with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a not uncommon diagnosis for older Juneau adults. It is associated with a higher utilization of healthcare services. And surgery isn’t always the solution according to a study reporting that 1 in 3 lumbar spinal stenosis patients experienced a poor clinical outcome with surgery. Also, 36.1% of 529 patients had a poor leg pain outcome while 27.6% had a poor overall outcome. Encouragingly, patients who exercised on a regular basis and those who received pre-operative chiropractic or physiotherapy care were less likely to report a poor overall outcome. (6) A recent study stated that getting such non-operative care beginning within the first 30 days of diagnosis reduced the use of riskier and more costly health care services in the following year. Fewer than 2% of Medicare beneficiaries got such care in a timely fashion. (7) Lastly, manual manipulation for 8 weeks was shown to be effective for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis by easing their pain and improving their function. (8) Aurora Chiropractic Center is ready to get started caring for your spinal stenosis today, non-operatively and safely.
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Schedule your next Juneau chiropractic appointment today. Spine conditions like thoracic spine hyperkyphosis and lumbar spinal stenosis respond well to chiropractic treatment!