Lumbar spinal stenosis and its related back pain is common and troubling for many. Dementia, neurogenic claudication, decreased walking distance, poor balance, lessened quality of life, and modified posture often attend spinal stenosis. Disc herniations, disc degeneration, and other spinal canal space intruders invite spinal stenosis. At New Hampshire Spine and Sport, Southern New Hampshire spinal stenosis patients who want to uninvite spinal stenosis have someone to help.
THE IMPACT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Research keeps presenting lumbar spinal stenosis as being linked to conditions like dementia development, walking capacity, and reduced quality of life. A recent study stated that lumbar spinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for developing dementia. Of 1220 patients, 10.8% of the lumbar spinal stenosis patients had dementia compared to only 4.4% of the control group members. (1) Older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis were portrayed as altering their posture with a forward bend to enhance their ability and tolerance for walking. Researchers who studied this phenomenon found that this posture was more of a forward shift of the pelvis while standing and walking. They deduced that limited walking in symptomatic spinal stenosis patients was more associated with spine loading which rose 7%. (2) Whatever it is related to, decreased walking ability isn’t beneficial. Someday it will be nice to understand more clearly the role of stenosis in relationship to decreased walking, but for now, New Hampshire Spine and Sport will keep encouraging walking for spinal stenosis patients, slow and steady and distance increased as able.
THE TREATMENT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: Walk
Since spinal stenosis is so common a condition in older folks, many guidelines and reports are issued and with good reason. Decreased ability to walk and quality of life are recorded side-effects of lumbar spinal stenosis. These 2 issues persist as the leading factors for back surgery in older patients. Sadly, 40% of those who undergo spinal surgery for the lumbar spinal stenosis still report walking issues post-surgery. (3) Recommendation 1 of a more recent guideline for dealing with lumbar spinal stenosis and related neurogenic claudication suggested non-surgical multimodal care to include non-drug therapy with education, advice, lifestyle changes, home exercise, manual therapy, acupuncture (trial), rehab, and therapy. (4) An update to the 2013 Cochrane review of research reports regarding the outcomes of treatments for lumbar spine stenosis related neurogenic claudication that reduced walking found that manual therapy and exercise to improve walking distance together was a beneficial treatment approach. Epidural steroids were not. (5) Conservative, non-surgical care of Southern New Hampshire spinal stenosis is recommended by spine researchers and by New Hampshire Spine and Sport.
CONTACT New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the relief with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for a patient with lumbar spinal stenosis and balance issues. Relief with Cox® Technic is described.
Make your Southern New Hampshire chiropractic appointment soon for pain relief of spinal stenosis that can get you walking (more) again!