Spinal Stenosis Affects Gait and Causes Back Pain
Spinal stenosis affects gait…and today they’re working with “smart shoes” to measure gait abnormalities and associated distorted walking patterns! Our Groton chiropractic patients dealing with spinal stenosis often comment that they walk differently. That makes sense! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office can help alleviate Groton 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 experience lumbar spinal stenosis find themselves even more affected. In a study of such patients who were heading for surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, all but 1 of the 234 patients had locomotive syndrome while 24.8% were documented to be frail. Post-surgically, those with frailty exhibited improvement in locomotion. (1) Yet surgery does not necessarily enhance 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 see 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 was not a change in sagittal vertical axis, but there was significant difference in spatiotemporal parameters. (2) Cox® flexion distraction treatment delivered significant improvement to lumbar spinal stenosis patients in terms of enhanced 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 good to understand that lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patient’s static spine and pelvic posture are associated with 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 more pronounced pelvic tilt angle, or less spinal flexion during gait resulted in lower daily-life lumbar function. (4) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office seeks to enhance the quality of life for our Groton spinal stenosis patients and appreciates studies that share what works. A future study’s goal is to form a set of data that can help define and/or alter patient treatment plans, signs for surgery, and routines for post-surgery rehab for lumbar spinal stenosis patients who choose 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 contribute to a lumbar spinal stenosis patient’s care at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office and outcome.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND BACK PAIN AND SMART SHOES!
To ensure as good an outcome as viable, new tech may come to the rescue. With lumbar spinal stenosis come gait abnormalities like reduced gait velocity and asymmetry 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 detect gait variations 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 Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office knows them well! Find out during your exam!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management helps relieve spinal stenosis and improve balance.
Schedule your Groton chiropractic appointment today to visit us especially if you find your gait being “off” and/or have back pain. Spinal stenosis may be the offender, and Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office knows how to deal with it!
