Normal degeneration of the spine may seem odd
when talking about degeneration, but age encounters
us all. Age generates degeneration normally. Our
West Des Moines chiropractic practice recognizes and
respects age for its influence on the spine and its role
in paraspinal muscle and disc degeneration. They go together. Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
treats them gently and successfully, especially
when our patients do their part in coming
to appointments, exercising, and following suggestions about
supplements that can help. It’s all part of the
West Des Moines chiropractic treatment plan!
NORMAL DEGENERATION: Age
Age. Not a topic we want to talk about,
but age doesn’t care. It keeps doing what it does. Age contributed much when researchers
compared the fatty infiltration of muscle in normal people to that
in lumbar spinal stenosis
patients matched for age, BMI, weight, etc. The paraspinal muscle alterations
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients and normal people were similar.
Degeneration of these muscles related to age was more noticeable
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients particularly in the
multifidus muscles. (1) A radiographic study of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis
found age-related risk factors. Researchers
wrote that greater intervertebral disc height and more severe
vertebral endplate failure may trigger degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis because of the intensified
mobility of the segment, promoting disc
degeneration. Weakened paravertebral muscles may weaken lumbar spinal
stability. (2) Indeed, the spine and all its muscles are connected.
Executive Chiropractic of Iowa looks at them all, to their response to
treatment, to their part in the pain.
BACK PAIN AND ITS PALS
Low back pain has friends. It brings with
it degeneration, change, fat, imbalance and more. Researchers adknowledged
intervertebral disc degeneration as being the main cause of
chronic low back pain. It is a common and recuring
condition in spine surgery realms. Disc degeneration is related to disc inflammation. As we humans age, researchers pointed out
that its bone marrow changes to bone marrow fat, activating
an inflammatory response in the disc and paraspinal muscles which influence spine stability. As the muscles fill with fat, low back pain transitioned
to chronic. (3) In a study of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and
sciatica/leg pain, researchers noted that lumbar
degenerative diseases prompted paravertebral muscle degeneration
with greater levels of intramuscular fat infiltration. Women’s
paraspinal muscles were significantly smaller. The erector spinae
muscle and multifidus muscle in older aged patients were seen
to have more fat in them. (4) Executive Chiropractic of Iowa realizes
that aging plays a role in back pain’s
development, path, and treatment.
LESS IS MORE: Treating Aged Back Pain
Since researchers documented that
with age comes fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles and inflammatory
responses in the disc, it makes sense that doing less if back
surgery is performed would be prudent.
A new study wrote that adding fusion
to a decompression back surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis increased
the risk of new stenosis on an MRI two years later at the operated
level or at an adjacent spinal level even when spondylolisthesis (a condition
that one vertebra slipped on another one) was seen at surgery. (5)
Less is more oftentimes when treating back
pain. Gentler treatment can go far in decreasing pain. That
is the motto of the CTFDD treatment plan at Executive Chiropractic of Iowa: gentle
spinal manipulation, gentle exercise, etc.
CONTACT Executive Chiropractic of Iowa
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Joseph Beissel 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 chronic low
back pain.
Make your West Des Moines chiropractic
appointment soon. There’s no escaping age or its
accompanying pal, degeneration. If disc degeneration and spinal muscle
degeneration are now your pals, trust Executive Chiropractic of Iowa to set you all
on a path of healing.