Back pain and hip pain and spine issues all come together
at once for many chiropractic patients, bringing
them into Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. We are here to
help! Getting older has some unique challenges for those
who experience back, hip and spine pain but also some unique benefits
today thanks to new approaches to maintaining
stability and dealing with and reducing pain. Your
La Grande chiropractor keeps on top of these new
approaches and is prepared to help you!
SIMPLE TESTS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR SPINES
Older folks know that with age comes ‘wisdom’…and
its own set of distinctive peculiarities. Different
aches and pains rear their heads one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, requiring attention. For those La Grande back
pain sufferers who are a little older, hip range of motion and
strength may foretell how 12 months down the road a
chronic low back pain patient may be performing. Researchers put this to the test! Decreased hip strength and
range of motion predicted a decline in
function a year later. Hip osteoarthritis did not affect these outcomes. (1)
Your chiropractor will perform a thorough examination and has some simple tests of hip
strength and range of motion – gait speed, 6-minute walk test, subjective
questionnaires, even imaging as necessary - to exclude as a diagnosis osteoarthritis.
3D IMAGING BENEFITS
Imaging has come far! Today, 3D MRI images of the spine are now clinically possible.
Their advantage is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more precise.
Neat! Another advantage, especially for back
pain sufferers who have had prior
back surgery with metal implants, etc., and now have pain
again is that 3D imaging allows seeing
around the metal. (2) Such views can help doctors
see issues at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can certainly
impact other areas and even prompt more pain. A
postural disorder some older back pain sufferers may experience is
called Pisa Syndrome which is characterized by lateral flexion of
the spine greater than 10 degrees which predisposes such folks
to falls, a lower quality of life, and increased
risk of mortality in neurological diseases. Postural stability exercises are essential
for such patients, important enough that they should do these always
to reduce fall risk. (3) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is all for
stability!
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Gary Stefanick on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease back pain after back
surgery. Back pain specialists like your La Grande chiropractor are equipped
to examine, diagnose, and treat post-surgical continued pain.
Set up your La Grande
chiropractic appointment now. La Grande chiropractic
patients find camaraderie with each other when it comes to back pain, hip pain, and
spine stability as well as help from their chiropractic care. We
look forward to seeing you soon!