Normal degeneration of the spine may seem incongruous
when discussing degeneration, but age meets
us all. Age generates degeneration normally. Our
Manchester chiropractic practice recognizes and
respects age for its effect on the spine and its influence
in disc degeneration and paraspinal
muscle degeneration. They go together. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
treats them gently and successfully, especially
when our patients do their part in keeping appointments, exercising, and taking
supplements that can be beneficial. It’s all part of the
Manchester chiropractic treatment plan!
NORMAL DEGENERATION: Age
Age. Not a topic we enjoy talking about,
but age does not care. It keeps doing its
thing. 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 comparable.
Degeneration of these muscles related to age was more noticeable
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients particularly in the
multifidus muscles. (1) In a radiographic study of degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis patients, age-related risk factors were noted. Researchers
wrote that greater intervertebral disc height and more severe
vertebral endplate failure may trigger degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis because of the increased
mobility of the segment, promoting disc
degeneration. Weakened paravertebral muscles may weaken lumbar spinal
stability. (2) Truly, the spine and all its muscles are interconnected.
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries 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 familiar and recuring
condition in spine surgery realms. Disc degeneration is associated
with disc inflammation. As we humans age, researchers explained
that its bone marrow changes to bone marrow fat, initiating
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 saw that lumbar
degenerative diseases caused paravertebral muscle degeneration
with greater levels of intramuscular fat infiltration. Women’s
paraspinal muscles were significantly reduced. The erector spinae
muscle and multifidus muscle in older aged patients were seen
to have more fat in them. (4) Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries appreciates
that aging contributes to 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 done would be wise.
A recent study wrote that adding fusion
to a decompression back surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis heightened
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 managing back
pain. Gentler treatment can go far in reducing pain. That
is the motto of the CTFDD treatment plan at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries: gentle
spinal manipulation, gentle exercise, etc.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
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 Manchester 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 Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries to get you all
on a path of healing.