Healthy News January 2023

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is reportedly one of the most common spinal conditions in the US, affecting over 500 million people over 65 years old. (1) As researchers struggle to propose a more systematic approach to dealing with patient care for lumbar spinal stenosis patients, your Colorado Springs chiropractor delivers gentle, safe, relieving treatment. The most recent effort at a system emphasized that each LSS patient presents a bit differently which limits any algorithm to be “soft guidance” as to its treatment plan based primarily on the LSS patient's pain relief with spinal flexion. (2) Since spinal stenosis is characteristically a systemic issue, meaning if you have spinal stenosis in the lumbar spine, you likely have it in other spinal areas like the cervical too, you do not want to overlook it. Further, lumbar spinal stenosis isn’t a condition that appears and disappears forever. Its pain can be managed, but it’s often “chronic,” meaning it lasts beyond 90 days. Be hopeful! The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR is experienced in ways to help with lumbar spinal stenosis relief. One study reported that flexion distraction significantly lowered pain and disability for lumbar spinal stenosis patients. (3) Another study stated that chronic back pain sufferers with moderate to severe symptoms improved most with the chiropractic technique, Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction Decompression (CTFDD), compared with physical therapy. (4) Those same patients had significantly lower pain scores over the following 12 months than did patients who did physical therapy. (5) LSS patients also experience altered gait and balance issues. (1,6) CTFDD helps these issues, too! A study regarding the influence of spinal manipulation on balance issues in LSS patients documented that flexion distraction spinal manipulation enhanced function, symptoms, and performance-based mobility in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. (6) We also anticipate the outcomes of a prospective data collection study in its second year for follow-up with patients who were treated with CTFDD for relief of their LSS-associated back pain. Data collection will be completed later this year with results being published in the years to come. Colorado Springs lumbar spinal stenosis is everywhere, and its relieving partner is your Colorado Springs chiropractor here at The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Dean Greenwood on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes his relieving treatment of a spinal stenosis patient with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

As a set of researchers sets up a new study to evaluate if a 6-week education and exercise program will improve the walking capacity of lumbar spinal stenosis patients with neurogenic claudication (7), The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR recommends