Healthy News November 2021 Relieving Chiropractic Care for Hyperkyphosis Curves & Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
The spine has its own standard curvature or kyphosis. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic knows the spine’s curves quite well! Most McHenry chiropractic clients don’t think about 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 spines. For 20 to 40% of over-60-year-olds, this kyphosis is seen to grow beyond 40°. This is termed “age-related kyphosis” or “hyperkyphosis” which affects both men and women but is more often 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 approaches chiropractors use to treat musculoskeletal issues in older adults with issues like hyperkyphosis. Older spines effectively experienced the SMM forces similar to younger spines in research studies. (3) Fortunately, research describes manual therapy as effective to decrease and prevent musculoskeletal problems due to thoracic hyperkyphosis. A recent report noted that such therapy adjusted the thoracic kyphosis angle, thoracic extension range of motion, and thoracic extension strength. (4) And an extra: Thoracic mobilization is shown to boost diaphragmatic excursion and respiratory function to manage and prevent respiratory dysfunction in patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis. (5) Your McHenry chiropractor delivers gentle, effective, distractive thoracic spine manipulation that both relieves hyperkyphosis and is quite comfortable. Once you feel it, you will 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 thoracic pain with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common diagnosis for older McHenry adults. It’s related to higher utilization of healthcare services. And surgery isn’t always the answer according to a study that reported how 1 in 3 lumbar spinal stenosis patients experienced a poor clinical outcome after surgery. Also, 36.1% of 529 patients had a poor leg pain outcome while 27.6% had a poor overall outcome. Promisingly, patients who exercised on a regular basis and those who got pre-operative chiropractic or physiotherapy care were not as likely to report a poor overall outcome. (6) A recent study stated that receiving 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 started such care in a timely fashion. (7) Lastly, manual manipulation for 8 weeks was reported to be effective for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis by decreasing their pain and bettering their function. (8) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is ready to get started caring for your spinal stenosis today, non-surgically and safely.
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Schedule your next McHenry chiropractic appointment today. Spinal conditions like thoracic spine hyperkyphosis and lumbar spinal stenosis react well to chiropractic treatment!