LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: What do to?
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is seemingly
one of the most common spinal conditions in the US, afflicting
over 500 million people over the age of 62. (1)
As researchers grapple with a more systematic approach
to dealing with patient care for lumbar spinal stenosis patients,
your La Grande chiropractor provides gentle, safe, pain
easing treatment. The latest attempt
at a system underscored that each LSS patient presents a bit differently
which restrains any algorithm to be “soft guidance” as to its treatment
plan based initially on the LSS patient's pain relief in
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 don’t want to overlook it. Further,
lumbar spinal stenosis is not a condition that appears and
disappears forever. Its pain can be contained, but it’s often “chronic,”
meaning it lasts beyond 90 days. Have hope! Your
chiropractor 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 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 experienced
significantly lower pain scores over the following year than did
patients who underwent physical therapy. (5) LSS patients also experience
altered gait and balance issues. (1,6) CTFDD helps these things,
too! A study about the influence of spinal manipulation on
balance problems in LSS patients explained 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 for follow-up with patients who underwent CTFDD for relief of their LSS-related back
pain. Data collection will be completed later this year with results being published in the years to come. La Grande
lumbar spinal stenosis is everywhere, and its relieving partner is your
La Grande chiropractor here at Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC!
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.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Stretch, Strengthen, Walk for LSS
Improvement
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 who also have neurogenic claudication (7), Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
suggests