Fernandina Beach Walking and Non-Drug Therapy for Back Pain and Stenosis

August 17, 2022

Lumbar spinal stenosis and its related back pain is common and distressing for many. Dementia, neurogenic claudication, decreased walking distance, poor balance, lessened quality of life, and altered posture often attend spinal stenosis. Disc herniations, disc degeneration, and other spinal canal space intruders invite spinal stenosis. At Amelia Chiropractic Clinic, Fernandina Beach spinal stenosis sufferers who want to uninvite spinal stenosis have someone by their side.

THE IMPACT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS

Research keeps presenting lumbar spinal stenosis as being linked to issues like dementia development, walking capacity, and reduced quality of life. A new study reported that lumbar spinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for developing dementia. Of 1220 patients, 10.8% of the lumbar spinal stenosis patients experienced dementia as opposed to just 4.4% of the control group members. (1) Older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis were portrayed as altering their posture with a forward bend to enhance their ability and tolerance for walking. Researchers who studied this phenomenon found that this posture was more of a forward shift of the pelvis during walking and standing. They deduced that limited walking in symptomatic spinal stenosis patients was more associated with spine loading which rose 7%. (2) Whatever it is related to, decreased walking ability isn’t beneficial. Someday it will be nice to more fully understand the part stenosis plays in relationship to inhibited walking, but for now, Amelia Chiropractic Clinic will continue to encourage walking for spinal stenosis patients, slow and steady and distance furthered as tolerated.

THE TREATMENT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: Walk

Since spinal stenosis is so common a condition in older folks, many guidelines and articles are issued and with good reason. Reduced ability to walk and quality of life are documented side-effects of lumbar spinal stenosis. These two issues persist as the leading factors for back surgery in older patients. Sadly, 40% of those who undergo spinal surgery for the lumbar spinal stenosis still state difficulty with walking post-surgery. (3) Recommendation 1 of a newer guideline for the management of lumbar spinal stenosis and related neurogenic claudication encouraged non-surgical multimodal care to include non-drug therapy with education, advice, lifestyle changes, home exercise, manual therapy, acupuncture (trial), rehab, and therapy. (4) An update to the 2013 Cochrane review of research studies on the outcomes of treatments for lumbar spine stenosis related neurogenic claudication that decreased walking found that manual therapy and exercise to increase walking distance together was a beneficial treatment method. Epidural steroids weren’t. (5) Conservative, non-surgical care of Fernandina Beach spinal stenosis is recommended by spine researchers and by Amelia Chiropractic Clinic.

CONTACT Amelia Chiropractic Clinic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee 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 lumbar spinal stenosis and balance issues. Relief with Cox® Technic is described.

Make your Fernandina Beach chiropractic appointment now for pain relief of spinal stenosis that can get you walking (more) again!

Amelia Chiropractic Clinic encourages walking and guideline-recommended non-drug therapy for spinal stenosis, reduction of its pain, and improvement in walking.