Spinal Stenosis Affects Gait and Causes Back Pain
Spinal stenosis affects gait…and today they’re working with “smart shoes” to measure gait irregularities and connected transformed walking patterns! Our Richmond chiropractic patients dealing with spinal stenosis often comment that they walk differently. That makes sense! Johnson Chiropractic can help relieve Richmond back pain and the related effects of spinal stenosis.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND ITS SIDE EFFECTS
Older folks are ever more affected by frailty and locomotive syndrome, and those who also have lumbar spinal stenosis find themselves even more bothered by it. In a study of such patients who were heading for surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, all but 1 of the 234 patients were documented to have locomotive syndrome while 24.8% were documented to be frail. After surgery, those with frailty showed improvement in locomotion. (1) Yet surgery does not necessarily improve gait for all spinal stenosis patients. Researchers measured the sagittal vertical axis using a gait motion analysis with lumbar spinal stenosis patients before and after they had decompression surgery to determine if there was any improvement in spatiotemporal – how and how quickly a person walks in terms of stride, pace, width of step, etc. - gait parameters. There wasn’t a variation in sagittal vertical axis, but there was significant change in spatiotemporal parameters. (2) Cox® flexion distraction treatment produced significant improvement to lumbar spinal stenosis patients in terms of improved function, symptomatology, and performance-based mobility. Further all of their subjective improvement outcomes were statistically and clinically meaningful. (3) This is good!
SPINAL STENOSIS AND POSTURE
It’s also beneficial to understand that lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patient’s static spine and pelvic posture are related to their symptoms. A new study delved into the subject of how dynamic alignment of the spine and pelvic might be related to lumbar spinal function in the everyday life of LSS sufferers and discovered that weak hip or trunk extensor muscles, a greater pelvic tilt angle, or smaller spinal flexion during gait gave rise to decreased daily-life lumbar function. (4) Johnson Chiropractic seeks to improve the quality of life for our Richmond spinal stenosis patients and values studies that disclose what works. An up-coming study’s goal is to form a set of data that can help define and/or alter patient treatment plans, indications for surgery, and practices for post-surgery rehab for lumbar spinal stenosis patients who elect to have surgery. These patients come with a distinctive set of issues concerning posture, balance, ambulation biomechanics, paraspinal muscle quality and fatigue rates, as well as symptoms. (5) All of these have a role in a lumbar spinal stenosis patient’s care at Johnson Chiropractic and outcome.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND BACK PAIN AND SMART SHOES!
To ensure as good an outcome as viable, technology may be of help. With lumbar spinal stenosis come gait abnormalities like decreased gait speed and unevenness due to muscle weakness and pain in the lower extremities. Don’t worry though. There are “smart shoes” to help. Smart shoes are wearable sensors that can sense gait changes quicker, easier, and cheaper. (6) In the meantime while their accuracy and cost-effectiveness are analyzed - since smart shoes might not be for everyone - the old fashioned in-clinic tests still work, and Johnson Chiropractic knows them well! Find out during your exam!
CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management helps relieve spinal stenosis and increase balance.
Schedule your Richmond chiropractic appointment today to visit us especially if you find your gait being “off” and/or experience back pain. Spinal stenosis may be the offender, and Johnson Chiropractic knows how to rein it in!
