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

The spine has its own normal curvature or kyphosis. Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation knows the spine’s curves quite well! Most Carrolltown chiropractic clients don’t give a second though to the spine’s curve, its normalcy or its function, until there is a problem caused by a curve that is overly curvy. Take for example 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-old adults, this kyphosis is documented to grow beyond 40°. This “age-related kyphosis” (aka ‘hyperkyphosis’) affects both men and women but is more frequently described to affect women who have more functional disorders like reduced 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 ways chiropractors 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 reduce and prevent musculoskeletal problems due to thoracic hyperkyphosis. A recent study noted that such therapy adjusted the thoracic kyphosis angle, thoracic extension range of motion, and thoracic extension strength. (4) And a bonus: Thoracic mobilization is shown to increase diaphragmatic excursion and respiratory function to control and prevent respiratory dysfunction in patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis. (5) Your Carrolltown chiropractor delivers gentle, effective, distractive thoracic spine manipulation that is both hyperkyphosis-relieving and comfortable. Once you feel it, you’ll 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 Carrolltown adults. It’s related to higher utilization of healthcare services. And surgery is not always the answer according to a study that reported how 1 in 3 lumbar spinal stenosis patients experienced a poor clinical outcome with 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 on a regular basis and those who got pre-operative chiropractic or physiotherapy care were less likely to report a poor overall outcome. (6) A new study stated that getting such non-operative care starting within the first 30 days of diagnosis decreased the use of riskier and more costly health care services in the following year. Less than 2% of Medicare beneficiaries started such care in a timely fashion. (7) Lastly, manual manipulation for 8 weeks was shown to be effective for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis by decreasing their pain and bettering their function. (8) Gormish Chiropractic & Rehabilitation is ready to get started treating your spinal stenosis today, non-operatively and safely.

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