Baton Rouge Walking and Non-Drug Therapy for Back Pain and Stenosis
Lumbar spinal stenosis and its related back pain is common and troubling for many. Dementia, neurogenic claudication, decreased walking distance, poor balance, lessened quality of life, and altered posture often attend spinal stenosis. Disc herniations, disc degeneration, and other spinal canal space intruders invite spinal stenosis. At Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers, Baton Rouge spinal stenosis sufferers who want to uninvite spinal stenosis have someone by their side.
THE IMPACT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Research continues to present lumbar spinal stenosis as being linked to issues like dementia development, walking capacity, and reduced quality of life. A new study reported that lumbar spinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for acquiring dementia. Of 1220 patients, 10.8% of the lumbar spinal stenosis patients had dementia compared to only 4.4% of the control group members. (1) Older adults with lumbar spinal stenosis were described as changing their posture with a forward bend to improve their ability and tolerance for walking. Researchers who looked into this phenomenon found that this posture was more of a forward shift of the pelvis during walking and standing. They concluded that limited walking in symptomatic spinal stenosis patients was more associated with spine loading which increased 7%. (2) Whatever it is related to, decreased walking ability isn’t good. Someday it will be nice to understand more clearly the part stenosis plays in relationship to inhibited walking, but for now, Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers will keep encouraging walking for spinal stenosis patients, slow and steady and distance increased as tolerated.
THE TREATMENT OF LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS: Walk
Since spinal stenosis is so common a condition in older folks, multiple guidelines and reports are published and with good reason. Reduced ability to walk and quality of life are documented side-effects of lumbar spinal stenosis. These two issues remain the leading indicators for back surgery in older sufferers. Sadly, 40% of those who undergo spinal surgery for the lumbar spinal stenosis still state difficulty with walking after surgery. (3) Recommendation 1 of a newer guideline for managing lumbar spinal stenosis and associated neurogenic claudication suggested non-surgical multimodal care to include non-drug therapy with education, advice, lifestyle changes, home exercise, manual therapy, acupuncture (trial), rehab, and therapy. (4) An update to the 2013 Cochrane review of research studies regarding the outcomes of treatments for lumbar spine stenosis related neurogenic claudication that reduced walking found that manual therapy and exercise to increase walking distance together was a beneficial treatment method. Epidural steroids weren’t. (5) Conservative, non-surgical care of Baton Rouge spinal stenosis is endorsed by spine researchers and by Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers.
CONTACT Medical Spine and Sports Injury and Rehab Centers
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Nate McKee 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 lumbar spinal stenosis and balance issues. Relief with Cox® Technic is described.
Make your Baton Rouge chiropractic appointment now for pain relief of spinal stenosis that can get you walking (more) again!
