Spinal stenosis affects gait…and today they’re working with “smart
shoes” to measure gait irregularities and connected
transformed walking patterns! Our New Roads chiropractic
patients who have spinal stenosis often comment
that they walk differently. That makes sense! New Roads Chiropractic Center can help relieve
New Roads back pain and the related effects of spinal stenosis.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND ITS SIDE EFFECTS
Older folks are affected to a greater extent by frailty and locomotive syndrome, and those
who also experience lumbar spinal stenosis find themselves even more
bothered by it. In a study of such patients who were going to undergo surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, all but 1 of the 234
patients were documented to have locomotive syndrome while 24.8% were
documented to be frail. Post-surgically,
those with frailty exhibited improvement in locomotion.
(1) Yet surgery doesn’t necessarily improve gait
for all spinal stenosis patients. Researchers evaluated the
sagittal vertical axis using a gait motion analysis with lumbar spinal stenosis
patients before and after they had decompression surgery to determine
if there was any improvement in spatiotemporal – how and how quickly a person moves
in terms of stride, pace, width of step, etc. - gait parameters. There wasn’t a variation in sagittal vertical axis, but there
was significant change in spatiotemporal parameters. (2) Cox®
flexion distraction treatment delivered significant improvement to
lumbar spinal stenosis patients in terms of
improved function, symptomatology, and performance-based
mobility. Further all of their subjective improvement outcomes were
statistically and clinically important. (3) This is valuable!
SPINAL STENOSIS AND POSTURE
It’s also good to know
that lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patient’s static spine and pelvic posture are
related to their symptoms. A recent study investigated the question of how dynamic alignment
of the spine and pelvic might be connected to lumbar spinal
function in the everyday life of LSS sufferers and discovered
that weak hip or trunk extensor muscles, a greater pelvic
tilt angle, or smaller spinal flexion during gait gave rise to decreased daily-life lumbar function. (4) New Roads Chiropractic Center
aims to enhance the quality of life for our New Roads
spinal stenosis patients and appreciates studies that divulge
what works. An up-coming study’s goal is to ascertain
a set of data that can help define and/or
alter patient treatment plans, indications for surgery, and routines
for post-surgery rehab for lumbar spinal stenosis patients who elect
to have surgery. These patients come with a unique set of
issues regarding posture, balance, ambulation biomechanics,
paraspinal muscle quality and fatigue rates, as well as symptoms. (5) All of
these have a role in a lumbar spinal stenosis
patient’s care at New Roads Chiropractic Center and outcome.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND BACK PAIN AND SMART SHOES!
To ensure as
good an outcome as possible, technology may be of help. With lumbar spinal stenosis come gait
abnormalities like reduced gait velocity
and asymmetry due to muscle weakness and pain in the lower extremities. Have no fear! “Smart shoes” to
the rescue! Smart shoes are wearable sensors that can identify
gait changes quicker, easier, and cheaper. (6) In the meantime while their accuracy and cost-effectiveness are analyzed - since
smart shoes might not be for everyone - the old fashioned in-clinic
tests still work, and New Roads Chiropractic Center knows them well!
Find out during your exam!
CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Nate McKee on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management helps relieve spinal stenosis and increase
balance.
Schedule your New Roads chiropractic
appointment now to visit us especially if you find
your gait being “off” and/or have back pain. Spinal stenosis
may be the offender, and New Roads Chiropractic Center knows how to deal with it!