Spinal Stenosis

Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms?

• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Arm pain
• Leg pain
• Increased pain with standing or walking
• Numbness, weakness, or cramping in the legs or arms

Spinal Stenosis occurs when the spaces inside the spinal column narrow, putting pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine. This condition most frequently affects the lower back and neck. The most common causes of spinal stenosis are often age-related, resulting from the degeneration of spinal discs and joint spaces, such as arthritis.

Spinal stenosis is a slow-progressing disease due to its degenerative nature. When spinal stenosis affects the lower back, individuals may experience pain in the back or legs, often accompanied by a cramping sensation in one or both legs after prolonged standing. This discomfort can typically be relieved by sitting, leaning forward, or resting. In contrast, spinal stenosis in the neck can lead to numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm, hand, leg, or foot, along with issues related to balance or walking.

Research indicates that by 2025, 6 out of 10 adults over 65 will likely be diagnosed with spinal stenosis. Moreover, studies have shown that 61.4% of patients diagnosed with lumbar spinal stenosis may also have asymptomatic cervical spinal stenosis concurrently.

How Do Chiropractors Treat Spinal Stenosis?

Treatment for spinal stenosis by the Cox® Certified Chiropractors at Malvern Chiropractic Clinic and Melbourne Spine Clinic utilises Cox® Flexion-Distraction and Spinal Decompression therapy, a gentle, effective, low-force, and non-surgical approach that has been proven to alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with spinal stenosis.

While spinal stenosis cannot be “cured,” the Cox® Certified Chiropractors can provide treatment and symptom management. Realistically, patients may achieve an outcome of a 50% reduction in pain, allowing them to enjoy a better quality of life and participate in daily activities.

The American Pain Society and the American College of Physicians endorse spinal manipulation as primary care for low back pain, of which spinal stenosis is a common cause.

What the Science Says – Outcomes Achieved with Cox® Flexion-Distraction:

1. Reduction of intradiscal pressure to as low as -192 mmHg, alleviating pressure on pain-sensitive structures.
2. An increase in disc height space by 17%.
3. Expansion of nerve opening spaces through which spinal nerves pass from the spinal cord to the body by up to 28%.
4. Restoration of normal range of motion in the spinal joints.
5. Enhanced sensory feedback from the body back to the brain (afferentation), leading to a sedating and relieving effect on nerve conduction with considerable pain-relieving outcomes.

Achieving these results contributes positively to the wellness of patients suffering from spinal stenosis.

In the clinic, patients frequently report relief from spinal stenosis pain following Cox® Technic protocols, supported by research findings:

• Significant relief of subjective pain and objective doctor-recorded tests in a 60-year-old male patient with cervical spinal stenosis causing arm pain.
• Pain relief from spinal stenosis in a 78-year-old man with low back pain and multi-level spinal stenosis, maintained at a 5-month follow-up.
• Twelve visits of Flexion-Distraction therapy providing relief to a 76-year-old male with lumbar spinal stenosis.
• Fifteen visits of Flexion-Distraction therapy over ten weeks yielding significant relief in a 33-year-old male with severe neck and arm pain due to spinal stenosis.

At Malvern Chiropractic Clinic and Melbourne Spine Clinic, our Chiropractors employ the latest research and clinical data to diagnose and treat patients. Our Certified Cox® Flexion-Distraction and Spinal Decompression Chiropractors address all spinal pain conditions using safe, gentle, non-surgical, and doctor-controlled spinal decompression therapy. Cox® Flexion-Distraction is a recognised alternative to spinal surgery for managing spinal stenosis.

REFERENCES

(1)   Gudavalli, MR., Olding, K., Joachim, G., Cox, JM. Chiropractic Distraction Spinal Manipulation on Postsurgical Continued Low Back and Radicular Pain Patients: A Retrospective Case Series. J Chiropractic Med. 2016 Jun; 15(2): 121–128. Published online 2016 May 25. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.04.004