Normal degeneration of the spine may sound incongruous
when talking about degeneration, but age encounters
us all. Age brings on degeneration normally. Our
Manahawkin chiropractic practice acknowledges and
respects age for its influence on the spine and its influence
in paraspinal muscle and disc degeneration. They go hand-in-hand. Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
treats them gently and successfully, especially
when our patients participate fully by keeping appointments, exercising, and taking
supplements that can be beneficial. It is all part of the
Manahawkin chiropractic treatment plan!
NORMAL DEGENERATION: Age
Age. Not a topic we enjoy talking about,
but age does not mind. It keeps doing what it does. Age contributed much when comparing the fatty infiltration of muscle in normal people to that
in lumbar spinal stenosis
patients matched for age, BMI, weight, etc. The paraspinal muscle changes
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients and normal people were comparable.
Degeneration of these muscles related to age was more noticeable
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients especially in the
multifidus muscles. (1) In a radiographic study of degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis patients, age-related risk factors were noted. Researchers
wrote that larger intervertebral disc height and more severe
vertebral endplate failure may trigger degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis because of the increased
mobility of the segment, progressing disc
degeneration. Weakened paravertebral muscles may weaken lumbar spinal
stability. (2) Truly, the spine and all its muscles are linked.
Manahawkin Chiropractic Center looks at them all, to their response to
treatment, to their part in the pain.
BACK PAIN AND ITS PALS
Low back pain has friends. It brings with
it degeneration, change, fat, imbalance and more. Researchers adknowledged
intervertebral disc degeneration as being the number one cause of
chronic low back pain. It is a familiar and recurrent
condition in spine surgery fields. Disc degeneration is related to disc inflammation. As we humans age, researchers pointed out
that its bone marrow changes to bone marrow fat, triggering
an inflammatory response in the disc and paraspinal muscles which influence spine stability. As the muscles fill with fat, low back pain transitioned
to chronic. (3) In a study of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and
sciatica/leg pain, researchers saw that lumbar
degenerative diseases prompted paravertebral muscle degeneration
with higher levels of intramuscular fat infiltration. Women’s
paraspinal muscles were significantly smaller. The erector spinae
muscle and multifidus muscle in older aged patients were described as having more fat in them. (4) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center appreciates
that aging contributes to back pain’s
development, path, and treatment.
LESS IS MORE: Treating Aged Back Pain
Since researchers noticed that
with age comes fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles and inflammatory
responses in the disc, it is logical that doing less if back
surgery is done would be wise.
A recent study wrote that adding fusion
to a decompression back surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis increased
the odds of new stenosis on an MRI two years later at the operated
level or at an adjacent spinal level even when spondylolisthesis (a condition
that one vertebra slipped on another one) was noted at surgery. (5)
Less is more oftentimes when treating back
pain. Gentler treatment can go far in reducing pain. That
is the motto of the CTFDD treatment plan at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center: gentle
spinal manipulation, gentle exercise, etc.
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Joseph Beissel 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 chronic low
back pain.
Schedule your Manahawkin chiropractic
appointment soon. There’s no escaping age or its
accompanying pal, degeneration. If disc degeneration and spinal muscle
degeneration are now your pals, trust Manahawkin Chiropractic Center to get you all
on a path to healing.