Back pain and hip pain and spine issues merge for many chiropractic patients, prompting a visit to Vancouver Disc Centers. We are ready to
help! Growing older has some unique challenges for back, hip, and spine
pain sufferers but also some unique benefits
today due to novel ways to keeping
stability and dealing with and easing pain. Your
Vancouver chiropractor keeps abreast 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 unique oddities. Different
aches and pains rear their heads one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, requiring attention. For those Vancouver back
pain sufferers who are a bit older, hip range of motion and
strength may predict how 12 months down the road a
chronic low back pain patient may be performing. Researchers put this to the test! Reduced hip strength and
range of motion forecast a deterioration in
function a year later. Hip osteoarthritis did not affect these outcomes. (1)
Your chiropractor will perform a thorough examination and has 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 advantage is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more accurate.
Neat! Another benefit, especially for back
pain sufferers who have had previous
back surgery with metal implants, etc., and now have pain
again is that 3D imaging allows viewing
around the metal. (2) Such views can assist doctors in seeing issues at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can surely
impact 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, essential enough that they should do these always
to decrease fall risk. (3) Vancouver Disc Centers is all for
stability!
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Gary Stefanick on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he discusses
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease back pain after back
surgery. Back pain specialists like your Vancouver chiropractor are able
to examine, diagnose, and treat post-surgical continued pain.
Make your Vancouver
chiropractic appointment today. Vancouver chiropractic
patients find camaraderie with each other when back pain, hip
pain, and spine stability are involved as well as relief from their chiropractic care. We
look forward to seeing you soon!