January 2023 Healthy News from Johnson Chiropractic Treatment Plan for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Relief

picture of Richmond lumbar spinal stenosis

LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: What do to?

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is seemingly one of the most common spinal conditions in the US, affecting more than 500 million people over the age of 62. (1) As researchers struggle to propose a more systematic approach to dealing with patient care for lumbar spinal stenosis sufferers, your Richmond chiropractor delivers gentle, safe, relieving treatment. The most recent attempt at a system stressed 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 in spinal flexion. (2) Since spinal stenosis is characteristically a systemic issue, which means that 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 ignore it. Further, lumbar spinal stenosis isn’t a condition that appears and disappears forever. Its pain can be managed, but its status as a condition remains one that researchers classify as “chronic,” meaning it lasts beyond 90 days. Have hope! Johnson Chiropractic can help with lumbar spinal stenosis relief. One study documented that flexion distraction significantly reduced pain and disability for lumbar spinal stenosis patients. (3) Another study noted 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 experienced significantly lower pain scores over the following year than did patients who did physical therapy. (5) LSS patients also have altered gait and balance concerns. (1,6) CTFDD helps these things, too! A study regarding the influence of spinal manipulation on balance issues in LSS patients documented that flexion distraction spinal manipulation improved 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 of follow-up with patients who underwent CTFDD for relief of their LSS-associated back pain. Data collection will be done in late 2023 with findings being published in the years to come. Richmond lumbar spinal stenosis is everywhere, and its relieving partner is your Richmond chiropractor here at Johnson Chiropractic!

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

image of Richmond spinal stenosis exercise and walking 
 
TIP OF THE MONTH: Stretch, Strengthen, Walk for LSS Improvement

As a group of researchers begins a new study to evaluate if a 6-week education and exercise program will improve the walking capacity of lumbar spinal stenosis patients who also have neurogenic claudication (7), Johnson Chiropractic recommends]}