February 2023 Healthy News from Dr. Butwell Spinal Canal Area Englargement and Back Pain Reduction with Chiropractic Care
Degenerated disc. Spinal stenosis. Back Pain. What do they have in common…besides pain? Reduced spinal canal area. With disc degeneration, the disc diminishes, leading to a decreased spinal canal area. With spinal stenosis, a(n) disc bulge, protruding disc, osteophyte, discal cyst, synovial cyst, spinal cyst diminishes the the area of the spinal cancal. A newly published paper explained how chiropractic flexion distraction treatment, namely Cox® Technic spinal manipulation and mobilization, enlarged the spinal canal area and created vertebral motions. The new study just published in January 2023 stated that chiropractic flexion distraction improved spinal area, height, and width due to increased nerve foraminal area. (1)
Such spinal alterations allowed involved spinal elements like spinal nerves to ‘breathe’ leading to subsequent (though occasionally quicker or even immediate for some patients) back pain relief. Outcomes and supporting research like this are the forces behind our use of gentle, safe chiropractic treatment approaches like Cox® Technic that has research explaining its biomechanical effects on the spine. Dr. Butwell invites you to share your degenerated disc and/or spinal stenosis with us!
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Ram Gudavalli, the guiding researcher in Cox® Technic research projects, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the research behind The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Back pain sufferers are frequently advised to perform exercise that strengthen spinal, gluteal, and core muscles as a way to round out their in-office chiropractic care. Classic lumbar flexion (Williams) exercises have been the norm for a long time, going back to the 1930s as they limit lumbar extension while improving lumbar flexion with high levels of research evidence (III and IV) support. A typical exercise series would have a patient lie on the floor, hands at the side, knees bent, then simply tighten ab and gluteal muscles while pushing the spine flat against the floor. The next would be a knee-chest motion (each single knee then both knees) exercise. (2) There are more such exercises in the series, but Dr. Butwell be thrilled for our new Georgetown back pain patients to begin with these simple exercises on day 1 (after we examine your spine and establish a treatment plan, of course). Dr. Butwell looks forward to meeting you soon and learning more about your spine, degenerated disc, and/or spinal stenosis and sharing any exercises that may help!
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Have a wonderful February! We anticipate seeing you and your spine this month!