Extension of the spine: It is beneficial. It’s harmful.
So what’s with spinal extension?
Both are accurate: It is good. It’s
bad. It
is the job of your Buffalo, NY chiropractor to help you determine the role of extension for your Buffalo, NY
back pain relief plan and Buffalo, NY back pain control plan in the future.
Your Buffalo, NY chiropractor at The Novelli Wellness Center is well trained
in the effects – good and bad – of spinal extension and respects its role in spinal
health and mobility.
SPINAL CURVES
Two of the spine’s most noticeable curves –
the cervical and lumbar curves – are lordotic curves meaning they curve inwardly.
Flexion flattens these curves. Extension magnifies them. When a disc herniates
or bulges, it does so into the concavity of the curve and potentially pushes
on the spinal nerves causing pain. Flexion often
allows the disc bulge to move off of the
nerve. Extension often allows the disc bulge to compress
the nerves more. The Novelli Wellness Center sets out to help reduce
painful situations like this!
SPINAL MOTION
75% of the flexion and extension movement in the low back is
at the L5-S1 level of the lumbar spine. 20% happens at the
L4-L5 level. Therefore, 95% of flexion and extension of the lumbar spine occurs
at these two lower disc levels. Here, degenerative disc disease (minor and more
advanced) occurs most. In the cervical spine, C5-C6 is the spinal
level where most of the flexion takes place, and C4-C5 is where
most of the extension takes place. Buffalo, NY chiropractic
patients need beneficial extension!
SPINAL EXTENSION
The Novelli Wellness Center respects extension and gets
how it may benefit and harm. The extensor muscles in the
back weaken and degenerate just like discs degenerate. (1)
Extension helps strengthen these muscles to support the spine. Extension is necessary
for this when the spine is healthy enough to perform extension. Extension to a painful spine may be
harmful. Why? In the cervical spine, flexion decreased disc
protrusion and enlarges the sagittal diameter of the vertebral
canal while extension made the disc herniation
larger and constricted the vertebral canal causing
stenosis. (2) In a degenerative lumbar spine with spinal stenosis, flexion opened
the vertebral canal and relieved pain while extension worsened
the stenosis and produced pain. (3) The Novelli Wellness Center understands
the key to eliciting the benefits of extension is in knowing
when to apply extension.
Buffalo, NY CHIROPRACTIC USE OF EXTENSION
Buffalo, NY chiropractic treatment incorporates
extension into the Buffalo, NY chiropractic treatment plan for its advantages.
Cox® Technic applied to the cervical spine dropped
intradiscal pressures to as low as 502 mmHg (4) and to as low as -192 mmHg in
the lumbar spine. (5) Extension increased pressures in the lumbar
spine to 1250 mmHg (the highest amount the transducer could measure).
(4) Reducing intradiscal pressures and back pain is what
The Novelli Wellness Center aims to do for its Buffalo, NY back pain
patients.
CONTACT The Novelli Wellness Center
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. David Atiyeh on the Back
Doctor’s Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. He shares how he cared for
a patient whose back pain persists after multiple back
surgeries with flexion distraction which gives her relief
as the table is flexed not extended.
Schedule your Buffalo, NY chiropractic appointment
with The Novelli Wellness Center today. Let’s explore
the role extension might have in your back pain recovery and future
back pain control strategy.