Back pain and hip pain and spine issues all come together
at once for many chiropractic patients, bringing
them into Manahawkin Chiropractic Center. We are here to
help! Getting older has some unique challenges for those
who experience back, hip and spine pain but also some unique benefits
today due to new ways to keeping
stability and coping with and reducing pain. Your
Manahawkin chiropractor keeps abreast of these novel
approaches and is prepared to help you!
SIMPLE TESTS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR SPINES
Older folks know that with age comes ‘wisdom’…and
its own set of unique oddities. Different
aches and pains rear their heads one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, demanding attention. For those Manahawkin back
pain sufferers who are a bit older, hip range of motion and
strength may predict how 12 months later a
chronic low back pain patient may be functioning. Researchers put this to the test! Decreased hip strength and
range of motion predicted a deterioration in
function a year later. Hip osteoarthritis did not affect these outcomes. (1)
Your chiropractor will perform a thorough examination and has some easy-to-do tests of hip
strength and range of motion – gait speed, 6-minute walk test, subjective
questionnaires, even imaging as necessary - to exclude as a diagnosis osteoarthritis.
3D IMAGING BENEFITS
Imaging has come far! Today, 3D MRI images of the spine are now clinically possible.
Their advantage is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more precise.
Pretty cool! Another advantage, especially for back
pain sufferers who have undergone back surgery already with metal implants, etc., and now have continued pain is that 3D imaging makes available viewing
around the metal. (2) Such views can assist doctors in seeing issues at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can surely
affect other areas and even prompt more pain. A
postural disorder some older back pain sufferers may experience is
called Pisa Syndrome which is characterized by lateral flexion of
the spine greater than 10 degrees which predisposes such folks
to falls, a lower quality of life, and greater
risk of mortality in neurological diseases. Postural stability exercises are essential
for such patients, essential enough that they should do these forever
to reduce fall risk. (3) Manahawkin Chiropractic Center is all for
stability!
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Gary Stefanick on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease back pain after back
surgery. Back pain specialists like your Manahawkin chiropractor are able
to examine, diagnose, and manage post-surgical continued pain.
Set up your Manahawkin
chiropractic appointment soon. Manahawkin chiropractic
patients find kinship with each other when back pain, hip
pain, and spine stability are involved as well as relief from their chiropractic care. See you soon!