McHenry Walking and Non-Drug Therapy for Back Pain and Stenosis
Lumbar spinal stenosis and its related back pain is common and troubling for its sufferers. Dementia, neurogenic claudication, decreased walking distance, poor balance, decreased quality of life, and altered posture often accompany spinal stenosis. Disc herniations, disc degeneration, and other spinal canal space invaders invite spinal stenosis. At OrthoIllinois Chiropractic, McHenry spinal stenosis patients who want to uninvite spinal stenosis have someone to help.
THE IMPACT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Research keeps presenting lumbar spinal stenosis as being linked to issues like dementia development, walking capacity, and lower quality of life. A recent study reported that lumbar spinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for developing dementia. Of 1220 patients, 10.8% of the lumbar spinal stenosis patients had dementia compared to only 4.4% of the control group members. (1) Older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis were portrayed as altering their posture with a forward bend to improve their ability and tolerance for walking. Researchers who looked into this phenomenon found that this posture was more of a forward shift of the pelvis while standing and walking. They deduced that limited walking in symptomatic spinal stenosis patients was more related to spine loading which increased 7%. (2) Whatever it is linked to, decreased walking ability isn’t beneficial. Someday it will be nice to understand more clearly the part stenosis plays in relationship to inhibited walking, but for now, OrthoIllinois Chiropractic will keep encouraging walking for spinal stenosis patients, slow and steady and distance furthered as able.
THE TREATMENT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: Walk
Since spinal stenosis is so common a condition in older folks, many guidelines and reports are published and with good reason. Decreased walking ability and quality of life are recorded side-effects of lumbar spinal stenosis. These two issues remain the main gauges for back surgery in older patients. Sadly, 40% of those who undergo spinal surgery for the lumbar spinal stenosis still report walking issues after surgery. (3) Recommendation 1 of a more recent guideline for handling lumbar spinal stenosis and related neurogenic claudication suggested non-surgical multimodal care to consist of non-drug therapy with education, advice, lifestyle changes, home exercise, manual therapy, acupuncture (trial), rehab, and therapy. (4) An update to the 2013 Cochrane review of research studies on the outcomes of treatments for lumbar spine stenosis related neurogenic claudication that reduced walking revealed that manual therapy and exercise to increase walking distance together was a beneficial treatment approach. Epidural steroids were not. (5) Conservative, non-surgical care of McHenry spinal stenosis is endorsed by spine researchers and by OrthoIllinois Chiropractic.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for a patient with lumbar spinal stenosis and balance issues. Relief with Cox® Technic is described.
Make your McHenry chiropractic appointment now for pain relief of spinal stenosis that can get you walking (more) again!
