Healthy News November 2021 Relieving Chiropractic Care for Hyperkyphosis Curves & Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

The spine has its own standard curvature or kyphosis. Chiropractic Care knows the spine’s curves quite well! Most West Palm Beach chiropractic clients do not think about the curvature of the spine, its normalcy or its function, until there is a problem caused by a curve that is overly curvy. Take for example the thoracic spine, the upper back part of the spine. Its normal kyphosis ranges from 20° to 40 in young people. For 20 to 40% of over-60-year-olds, this kyphosis is documented to grow beyond 40°. This is termed “age-related kyphosis” or “hyperkyphosis” which affects both men and women but is more frequently described to affect women who have more functional disorders like decreased back extensor muscle strength and use of erector spinal muscles plus other poor health conditions. (1,2) Spinal manipulation and mobilization of the thoracic spine are common ways chiropractors treat musculoskeletal issues in older adults with issues like hyperkyphosis. Older spines successfully received the SMM forces similar to younger spines in research studies. (3) Luckily, research describes manual therapy as effective to decrease and prevent musculoskeletal problems due to thoracic hyperkyphosis. A recent study described how such therapy positively influenced the thoracic kyphosis angle, thoracic extension range of motion, and thoracic extension strength. (4) And a bonus: Thoracic mobilization is shown to increase diaphragmatic excursion and respiratory function to manage and avert respiratory dysfunction in patients with thoracic hyperkyphosis. (5) Your West Palm Beach chiropractor delivers gentle, effective, distractive thoracic spine manipulation that both relieves hyperkyphosis and is quite comfortable. Once you feel it, you will want more!

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Joseph D’Angiolillo on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains gentle distraction treatment of thoracic pain with the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a not uncommon diagnosis for older West Palm Beach adults. It’s associated with a higher utilization of healthcare services. And surgery is not always the solution according to a study that reported how 1 in 3 lumbar spinal stenosis patients had a poor clinical outcome with surgery. Also, 36.1% of 529 patients had a poor leg pain outcome while 27.6% had a poor overall outcome. Encouragingly, patients who exercised on a regular basis and those who received pre-operative chiropractic or physiotherapy care were not as likely to report a poor overall outcome. (6) A recent study reported that getting such non-operative care starting within the first 30 days of diagnosis decreased the use of riskier and more costly health care services in the following year. Less than 2% of Medicare beneficiaries receive such care in a timely fashion. (7) Lastly, manual manipulation for 8 weeks was shown to be effective for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis by decreasing their pain and improving their function. (8) Chiropractic Care is ready to get started treating your spinal stenosis today, non-operatively and safely.

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Make your next West Palm Beach chiropractic appointment today. Spine conditions like thoracic spine hyperkyphosis and lumbar spinal stenosis react well to chiropractic treatment!