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Chiropractic Care of Inflammatory Richmond Back Pain

The variety of spinal conditions abounds! Your Richmond chiropractor is well aware of this. Johnson Chiropractic welcomes them all! For optimal relief of pain and limited function, the first step is recognition of the condition then arrange its proper treatment. Johnson Chiropractic is experienced in both! This week’s highlighted condition is inflammatory back pain, axial spondyloarthritis, and the spine-specific kind, ankylosing spondylitis.

AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS

Axial spondyloarthritis is an inflammatory back pain condition. It’s often missed as a cause of chronic low back pain while approximately 1% of the US population has it. Characteristics of axial spondyloarthritis consist of onset before 45 years old, morning stiffness, improvement with exercise not rest, alternating gluteal pain, and good response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment. Other features of axial spondyloarthritis involve enthesitis (inflammation of tendons and ligaments as they insert into bone), dactylitis (inflammation of a toe or finger), peripheral arthritis, extra-articular appearances (like psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, or uveitis), positive for the human leukocyte antigen B27, and a family history of the disease. Prompt diagnosis is key as is a rheumatology referral for evaluation and cooperative care. (1) Not only is axial spondyloarthritis missed in medical practices, but it’s sometimes overlooked in chiropractic offices, too. (2) It’s just not identified as what it is: an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Your Richmond chiropractor is aware and looks for it so that typical lapses of time - sometimes years - will not go by between symptom onset and diagnosis. Since it’s a back pain condition, axial spondyloarthritis can be diagnosed and co-treated with chiropractic care for positive outcomes.

ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A SUBSET OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS SPECIFIC TO THE SPINE

One variety of axial spondyloarthritis is ankylosing spondylitis. Spondylitis means inflammation of the vertebrae. Interdisciplinary management with medical, chiropractic and rehab often works well for these patients in decreasing their symptoms and increasing musculoskeletal function. (3) Treating this condition requires gentle care that certified Cox® Technic chiropractic physicians are good in performing. A case of a 30-year-old male first diagnosed when he was 12 years old whose condition, despite medical care, resulted in fusion of his sacroiliac joints as well as facet joints in the lumbar and cervical spine. The patient was treated with chiropractic spinal manipulation of his thoracic, lumbar, and cervical spine areas and physical therapy stretches for 12 weeks. His advanced condition reacted well with some improvement in pain and flexibility. (4) Another male patient who was 34 years old with a 10-year history of AS underwent 18 weeks of chiropractic spinal manipulation and mobilization. This led to a 90% improvement in a disease activity index and an 85% improvement in a functional index from start to finish. (5) Johnson Chiropractic performs very gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization in the form of Cox® Technic distraction decompression. An advanced state of the condition doesn’t rule out chiropractic care or its resultant positive outcomes.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Gabriel Monterrubio on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. He describes his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for treating ankylosing spondylitis.

Set up your Richmond chiropractic appointment today. All types of spine-related conditions are accepted!

Johnson Chiropractic offers gentle treatment for inflammatory back pain conditions, axial spondyloarthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.  
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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."