Aging gets blamed for a lot of ills…including limited neck
movements. You are not alone if you discover
that you don’t rotate your head quite as easily
or as far as you used to or that you don’t flex or extend it in
the same way as you once did. Degenerative discs and
vertebrae and companion osteophytes contribute to limiting movement. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC is here to help your neck movements
with gentle chiropractic treatment!
CERVICAL SPINE MOTION
Physiological motion of the spine has a nice ring to it, does it not? It does! In the cervical
spine, researchers have noted how a consistent sequence of
cervical segmental contributions work when the neck moves. This
sequence is typical in 80-90% of young healthy persons. But what
about the motions in older persons with aging spines?
Decreased motion has been related
to aging. A newer study by some inquisitive researchers
designed a study to determine if such consistent neck
motions in elderly asymptomatic persons resembled the motions in asymptomatic
young persons. They didn’t. They found that aging - as
demonstrated by the motion patterns seen in elderly asymptomatic persons - was linked
to a loss of consistent motion patterns that were seen
in young asymptomatic persons. For example, the consistent pattern in young
asymptomatic persons was found in only 10% of the older persons at T1 and 0% at
T2. (1) As our La Grande chiropractic friends and family age along
with us, we’re not alone in noting motion
changes. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC offers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in
order to bring as much movement to spinal segments
as they’ll allow. If you notice limitations in your neck
motions, let us know! We can look for the usual sources
that may be the cause.
WHAT COMES WITH AGING THAT LIMITS NECK MOTION: Osteophytes
Osteophytes are frequently seen in vertebral bones of the
cervical and lumbar spines of elderly folks. Anterior osteophytes continue
developing and eventually bring about neck pain
or back pain. Since osteophytes are so common and result in such pain, researchers determined a way to predict the mean
time to onset of pain and the path of degeneration that occurs
in these vertebrae based on information from following patients’ osteophytes
for 9 years. (2) We know our La Grande chiropractic patients with
osteophytes aren’t as curious as to how long ago their osteophytes
started, but rather how our chiropractic care can help! Here’s an
interesting case involving osteophytes and relieving chiropractic
care: Osteophytes may contribute to patients’
developing dysphagia (aka difficulty with swallowing). A case report presented a 53-year-old woman with a sore throat, difficulty swallowing solid foods,
and acid reflux. Her imaging showed anterior osteophytes as well
as kyphosis (abnormal curvature) of her cervical spine and thoracolumbar
scoliosis, any of which could contribute to her dysphagia. Six
months of chiropractic care resolved her issues. (3) Chiropractic care works!
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to the PODCAST
with Dr. Shay Corbin on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as he explains the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management for his musician patient dealing with
neck and back pain.
Schedule your next La Grande
chiropractic appointment with Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC. Bring your aging spine, your
less-than-mobile cervical spine, your stiff neck
to our clinic. We can work toward improved motion!