Back pain and hip pain and spine issues all come together
at once for many chiropractic patients, bringing
them into Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office. We’re ready to
help! Getting older presents some unique challenges for back, hip, and spine
pain sufferers but also some unique positive effects
today thanks to novel ways to maintaining
stability and coping with and easing pain. Your
Groton chiropractor keeps on top of these new
approaches and is prepared to help you!
SIMPLE TESTS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR SPINES
Older folks understand that with age comes ‘wisdom’…and
its own set of distinctive peculiarities. Different
aches and pains arise one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, requiring attention. For those Groton back
pain sufferers who are a little older, hip range of motion and
strength may foretell how 12 months later a
chronic low back pain patient may be functioning. Researchers tested
this out! Reduced hip strength and
range of motion forecast a decline in
function a year later. Hip osteoarthritis did not affect these outcomes. (1)
Your chiropractor will perform a thorough examination and knows some easy-to-do 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 a long way! Today, MRI images
of the spine in 3D are now clinically possible.
Their benefit is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more accurate.
Pretty cool! Another benefit, especially for back
pain sufferers who have undergone back surgery already with metal implants, etc., and now have continued pain is that 3D imaging makes available seeing
around the metal. (2) Such views can help doctors
see problems at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can surely
affect 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 sets them up
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 forever
to decrease fall risk. (3) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is all for
stability!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Gary Stefanick on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease back pain after back
surgery. Back pain specialists like your Groton chiropractor are equipped
to examine, diagnose, and treat post-surgical continued pain.
Make your Groton
chiropractic appointment today. Groton chiropractic
patients find camaraderie with each other when back pain, hip
pain, and spine stability are involved as well as help from their chiropractic care. We
look forward to seeing you soon!