February 2023 Healthy News from Johnson Chiropractic Spinal Canal Area Englargement and Back Pain Reduction with Chiropractic Care
Do you experience back pain? Spinal stenosis? Degenerative disc disease? Do you know what they have in common (besides pain)? Decreased spinal canal area. With disc degeneration, the disc diminishes, resulting in reduced spinal canal area. With spinal stenosis, a(n) disc bulge, protruding disc, osteophyte, discal cyst, synovial cyst, spinal cyst reduces the spinal canal area. A recently published paper detailed how chiropractic flexion distraction treatment, specifically Cox® Technic spinal manipulation and mobilization, expanded the spinal canal area and produced vertebral motions. The new study just published in January 2023 stated that chiropractic flexion distraction improved spinal area, height, and width due to increased nerve foraminal area. (1)
Such spinal changes set the scene for impacted spinal elements like spinal nerves to ‘breathe’ leading to eventual (though occasionally faster or even instantaneous for some patients) back pain relief. Outcomes and published research like this are the forces behind our using gentle, safe chiropractic treatment options like Cox® Technic that has research explaining its biomechanical effects on the spine. Johnson Chiropractic invites you to share your degenerated disc and/or spinal stenosis with us!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Ram Gudavalli, the guiding researcher in Cox® Technic research projects, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the research behind The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Back pain sufferers are often recommended exercises to strengthen spinal, gluteal, and core muscles as a way to enhance their in-office chiropractic care. Classic lumbar flexion (Williams) exercises have been the norm for a long time, going back to the 1930s as they restrict lumbar extension while enhancing lumbar flexion with high levels of research evidence (III and IV) support. A common exercise series would have a patient lie on the floor, keeping hands along the side of the body and bending the knees with feet flat on the floor, then just tighten ab and gluteal muscles while pushing the spine flat against the floor. The following exercise would be a knee-chest motion (pulling one knee to chest then the other knee then both knees to chest) exercise. (2) There are more such exercises in the series, but Johnson Chiropractic be excited for our new Richmond back pain patients to start with these easy moves on day 1 (after we examine your spine and set a treatment plan, of course). Johnson Chiropractic looks forward to talking soon about you and your spinal stenotic, disc degenerative spine and any exercises that may help!
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Have a wonderful February! We anticipate seeing you and your spine this month!