Back pain and hip pain and spine issues merge for many chiropractic patients, prompting a visit to Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center. We are here to
help! Growing older presents some unique challenges for back, hip, and spine
pain sufferers but also some unique benefits
today thanks to new ways to maintaining
stability and coping with and reducing pain. Your
Pensacola chiropractor keeps abreast of these novel
approaches and is ready to help you!
SIMPLE TESTS FOR OLDER ADULTS AND THEIR SPINES
Older folks know that with age comes ‘wisdom’…and
its own set of distinctive oddities. Different
aches and pains arise one morning or mid-afternoon or
evening, demanding attention. For those Pensacola 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 put this to the test! Decreased hip strength and
range of motion predicted a deterioration 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 advantage is higher spatial resolution, reformation in any
plane so the MRI process is faster, and interpretation is more precise.
Pretty cool! Another benefit, especially for back
pain sufferers who have had previous
back surgery with metal implants, etc., and now have continued pain is that 3D imaging allows seeing
around the metal. (2) Such views can assist doctors in seeing issues at adjacent spine levels.
A SPECIFIC SPINE ISSUE: PISA SYNDROME
Pain issues in one area of the spine can surely
impact other areas and even trigger more pain. A
postural disorder some older back pain sufferers may have is
called Pisa Syndrome which is caused by lateral flexion of
the spine greater than 10 degrees which sets them up
to falls, a lesser quality of life, and greater
risk of mortality in neurological diseases. Postural stability exercises are essential
for such patients, important enough that they should do these forever
to reduce fall risk. (3) Pensacola Spinal Rehab Center is all for
stability!
CONTACT Pensacola Spinal Rehab 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 Pensacola chiropractor are able
to examine, diagnose, and manage post-surgical continued pain.
Make your Pensacola
chiropractic appointment soon. Pensacola 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. See you soon!