Healthy News November 2021 Relieving Chiropractic Care for Hyperkyphosis Curves & Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The spine has its own usual curvature or kyphosis. Satterwhite Chiropractic knows the spine’s curves quite well! Most Oxford chiropractic clients don’t think about the spinal curve, its normalcy or its function, until there is an issue caused by a curve that is overly curvy. Think about 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 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 reduced back extensor muscle strength and ability to use erector spinal muscles plus other poor health issues. (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 successfully experienced the SMM forces similar to younger spines in research studies. (3) Luckily, research describes manual therapy as effective to decrease and avert musculoskeletal problems due to thoracic hyperkyphosis. A recent report described how such therapy adjusted the thoracic kyphosis angle, thoracic extension range of motion, and thoracic extension strength. (4) And a bonus: Thoracic mobilization is demonstrated to increase diaphragmatic excursion and respiratory function to control and prevent respiratory dysfunction in patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis. (5) Your Oxford chiropractor delivers gentle, effective, distractive thoracic spine manipulation that is both hyperkyphosis-relieving and 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 describes 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 Oxford adults. It’s related to 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 had 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. Encouragingly, patients who exercised regularly and those who received pre-operative chiropractic or physiotherapy care were not as likely to describe a poor overall outcome. (6) A recent study reported that getting such non-operative care starting 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 reported to be effective for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis by reducing their pain and bettering their function. (8) Satterwhite Chiropractic is ready to get started treating your spinal stenosis today, non-surgically and safely.

CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic

Schedule your next Oxford chiropractic appointment today. Spinal conditions like thoracic spine hyperkyphosis and lumbar spinal stenosis react well to chiropractic treatment!