Normal degeneration of the spine may seem odd
when talking about degeneration, but age meets
us all. Age generates degeneration normally. Our
Auburn chiropractic practice acknowledges and
respects age for its effect on the spine and its influence
in paraspinal muscle and disc degeneration. They go together. Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C.
treats them gently and successfully, particularly
when our patients participate fully by coming
to appointments, exercising, and following suggestions about
supplements that can be beneficial. It’s all part of our
Auburn chiropractic treatment plan!
NORMAL DEGENERATION: Age
Age. Not a topic we enjoy talking about,
but age doesn’t mind. It keeps doing what it does. Age played a considerable role when comparing the fatty infiltration of muscle in normal people to that
in lumbar spinal stenosis
patients matched for age, BMI, weight, etc. The paraspinal muscle changes
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients and normal people were similar.
Degeneration of these muscles related to age was more obvious
in lumbar spinal stenosis patients especially 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 stimulate degenerative lumbar
spinal stenosis due to the amplified
mobility of the segment, furthering disc
degeneration. Weakened paravertebral muscles may weaken lumbar spinal
stability. (2) Truly, the spine and all its muscles are linked.
Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. looks at them all, to their response to
treatment, to their contribution in the pain.
BACK PAIN AND ITS PALS
Low back pain has friends. It brings with
it degeneration, change, fat, imbalance and more. Researchers credited
intervertebral disc degeneration as being the main cause of
chronic low back pain. It is a common and recurrent
condition in spine surgery fields. Disc degeneration is linked to disc inflammation. As we humans age, researchers explained
that its bone marrow changes to bone marrow fat, triggering
an inflammatory response in the disc and paraspinal muscles which influence spine stability. As the muscles fill with fat, low back pain changed
to chronic. (3) In a study of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and
sciatica/leg pain, researchers noted that lumbar
degenerative diseases caused paravertebral muscle degeneration
with higher levels of intramuscular fat infiltration. Women’s
paraspinal muscles were significantly reduced. The erector spinae
muscle and multifidus muscle in older aged patients were described as having more fat in them. (4) Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. appreciates
that aging has a role in back pain’s
development, path, and treatment.
LESS IS MORE: Treating Aged Back Pain
Since researchers noticed 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 sensible.
A new study wrote that the addition of fusion
to a decompression back surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis raised
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 noted at surgery. (5)
Less is more oftentimes when managing back
pain. Gentler treatment can go far in decreasing pain. That’s the motto of the CTFDD treatment plan at Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C.: gentle
spinal manipulation, gentle exercise, etc.
CONTACT Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C.
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Joseph Beissel on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the relief with The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for a patient with chronic low
back pain.
Make your Auburn chiropractic
appointment now. There’s no avoiding age or its
accompanying pal, degeneration. If disc degeneration and spinal muscle
degeneration are now your pals, trust Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. to set you all
on a path of healing.