Back pain and hip pain and spine issues all come together
at once for many chiropractic patients, bringing
them into The Novelli Wellness Center. We’re ready to
help! Growing older presents some unique challenges for back, hip, and spine
pain patients but also some unique benefits
today due to new approaches to maintaining
stability and coping with and reducing pain. Your
Buffalo, NY chiropractor keeps on top of these novel
approaches and is prepared to help you!
SIMPLE TESTS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR SPINES
Older folks know that with age comes ‘wisdom’…and
its own set of unique oddities. Different
aches and pains arise one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, demanding attention. For those Buffalo, NY back
pain sufferers who are a little older, hip range of motion and
strength may predict how 12 months down the road a
chronic low back pain patient may be functioning. Researchers tested
this out! Reduced hip strength and
range of motion forecast a decline 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 far! Today, MRI images
of the spine in 3D are now clinically possible.
Their benefit is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more precise.
Pretty cool! Another advantage, especially for back
pain sufferers who have had previous
back surgery with metal implants, etc., and now have pain
again is that 3D imaging permits viewing
around the metal. (2) Such views can help doctors
see problems at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can surely
affect other areas and even trigger 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, important enough that they should do these always
to decrease fall risk. (3) The Novelli Wellness Center is all about
stability!
CONTACT The Novelli Wellness Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Gary Stefanick on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes
his use of Cox® Technic Flexion Distraction to ease back pain after back
surgery. Back pain specialists like your Buffalo, NY chiropractor are equipped
to examine, diagnose, and treat post-surgical continued pain.
Set up your Buffalo, NY
chiropractic appointment soon. Buffalo, NY chiropractic
patients find camaraderie with each other when back pain, hip
pain, and spine stability are involved as well as help from their chiropractic care. We
look forward to seeing you soon!