There are so many spinal conditions! Your Southern New Hampshire chiropractor is in the know. New Hampshire Spine and Sport welcomes them all! For best relief of pain and limited function, the first step is to recognize the condition then arrange its proper treatment. New Hampshire Spine and Sport is experienced in both! This week’s highlighted condition is inflammatory back pain, axial spondyloarthritis, and the spine-specific type, ankylosing spondylitis.
AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS
Axial spondyloarthritis is an inflammatory back pain condition. It is commonly missed as a cause of chronic low back pain although approximately 1% of the US population experiences it. Characteristics of axial spondyloarthritis include onset before 45 years of age, morning stiffness, improvement with exercise not rest, alternating gluteal pain, and good response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment. Other characteristics of axial spondyloarthritis care enthesitis (inflammation of tendons and ligaments as they insert into bone), dactylitis (inflammation of a toe or finger), peripheral arthritis, extra-articular appearances (like psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, or uveitis), positive for the human leukocyte antigen B27, and a family history of the disease. Prompt diagnosis is key as is a rheumatology referral for evaluation and cooperative care. (1) Not only is axial spondyloarthritis overlooked in medical practices, but it’s sometimes overlooked in chiropractic practices, too. (2) It’s just not identified as what it is: an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Your Southern New Hampshire chiropractor is aware and looks for it so that typical lapses of time - sometimes years - will not go by between symptom onset and diagnosis. Since it’s a back pain condition, axial spondyloarthritis can be diagnosed and co-managed with chiropractic care for positive outcomes.
ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A SUBSET OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS SPECIFIC TO THE SPINE
One variety of axial spondyloarthritis is ankylosing spondylitis. Spondylitis is defined as inflammation of the vertebrae. Interdisciplinary management with chiropractic and medical care with rehabilitation often works well for these patients in decreasing their symptoms and increasing musculoskeletal function. (3) Treating this condition calls for gentle care that certified Cox® Technic chiropractic physicians are experienced in performing. A case of a 30-year-old male first diagnosed when he was 12 years old whose condition, despite medical care, resulted in fusion of his sacroiliac joints and his facet joints in the lumbar and cervical spine. The patient underwent chiropractic spinal manipulation of his thoracic, lumbar, and cervical spine areas and physical therapy stretches for 12 weeks. His advanced condition reacted favorably with some improvement in pain and flexibility. (4) Another male patient who was 34 years old with a 10-year history of AS underwent 18 weeks of chiropractic spinal manipulation and mobilization. This led to a 90% improvement in a disease activity index and an 85% improvement in a functional index from beginning to end. (5) New Hampshire Spine and Sport offers very gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization in the form of Cox® Technic distraction decompression. An advanced state of the condition doesn’t preclude chiropractic care or its resultant good outcomes.
CONTACT New Hampshire Spine and Sport
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Gabriel Monterrubio on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. He describes his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for treating ankylosing spondylitis.