Can chiropractic care help with spinal stenosis?

What is spinal stenosis?

Spinal stenosis is the phenomenon that occurs when the spaces in your spine begin to narrow. This can happen in two different areas of the spine: the cervical spine, and the lumbar spine. When cervical stenosis occurs, this means that the spaces in your spine have narrowed in the region of your neck. When lumbar stenosis occurs, this means that the spaces in your spine have narrowed in your lower back.

Spinal stenosis is quite common, particular with the onset of age. As people grow older, they often experience wear-and-tear in their bones and joints (caused from various activities over the course of their lives), damage from arthritis, and osteoporosis.

Spinal stenosis doesn’t always cause pain, but it can, most commonly in the neck and back. Additionally, spinal stenosis can create numbness, weakness, and tingling in the legs, feet, hands, and arms, problems with balance and coordination, and sometimes bowel and bladder dysfunction. Spinal stenosis can also cause pain and cramping in one of both legs.

Physical factors that contribute to a narrowing of the open space in the spine include:

• Overgrowth of bone caused by disorders and disease
• Herniated discs caused from accident, injury, or poor posture
• Thickened ligaments caused from lack of movement
• Tumors
• Spinal injuries

Being over the age of 50 is considered a risk factor for spinal stenosis.

What is chiropractic care?

Chiropractic care is a form of alternative medicine that specializes in treating the neuromusculoskeletal system. The neuromusculoskeletal system is made up of the nervous system, muscular system, and skeletal system, and focuses on the ways in which they interact with one another.

People who seek out chiropractic care are often experiencing dysfunction in the neuromusculoskeletal system, most commonly as back pain, neck pain, stiffness, headaches, migraines, and poor posture.

An expert chiropractor is able to perform effective treatment that can help to rebalance and regulate the neuromusculoskeletal system. This may occur in the form of spinal decompression, spinal traction, soft tissue manipulation, and a number of other interventions designed to realign the spinal structure, deinflame the nerves, and relax strained and tense muscles.

Chiropractic care can be very helpful in aiding the body in restoring it’s natural healing processes. By helping to regulate and balance the body’s systems, healing of an assortment of different diseases and imbalances can occur more rapidly with the aid of chiropractic care. This applies to a variety of different conditions, including:

• Neck pain
• Back pain (lower, middle, and upper)
• Shoulder pain
• Scoliosis
• Overuse injuries (like tennis elbow)
• Migraines and headaches
• Fibromyalgia
• Disc pain and damage (herniated discs)
• Hip bursitis
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sprains and strains
• Sciatica
• Whiplash and auto-related injuries
• Digestive disorders like Crohn’s Disease
• Cognitive disorders
• Immune disorders
• Vertigo and balance disorders
• Poor posture

How can chiropractic care help with spinal stenosis?

Chiropractic care can help to alleviate misalignment in the spine, which can exacerbate the discomfort and lack of mobility associated with spinal stenosis. Because chiropractic care works therapeutically on the nervous system and muscular system as well, it can help to decrease inflammation in the nerves and muscles surrounding the spine. When inflammation is decreased, this can reduce or eliminate pain and discomfort that can result from spinal stenosis.

Spines that are experiencing spinal stenosis (the narrowing of the spaces in the spine) can benefit from an infusion of nutrients and oxygen that come from circulation of the blood. In addition to helping correct any slipped discs or injuries that have occured in the spine over time, chiropractic care can also help to increase circulation throughout the spinal cord and the surrounding areas. Additionally, chiropractic care can increase the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which helps to nourish and protect the brain and spinal cord and detoxify the area.

Chiropractic care is not an invasive procedure, but will involve hands-on treatment. This treatment may include spinal manipulation, soft tissue manipulation, machine-assisted adjustments, chiropractic massage, take-home exercises and tools, and a variety of other treatments.

To determine exactly how chiropractic care can benefit your health and wellness, it’s best to make an appointment for a complete assessment, so that your expert chiropractor can help create the most customized and comprehensive plan possible for your specific condition.

Chiropractic Care as a Lifestyle

Whether you’re experiencing spinal stenosis, another condition you’d like to resolve, or are simply looking to boost your health and experience the highest quality of health possible, chiropractic care can help.

In addition to helping to resolve chronic and acute injury and disease symptoms, chiropractic care can also help to simply support your baseline level of health. It can boost your overall energy, support clear thinking, increase flexibility and mobility in your body, and make your body a more comfortable place to be. If you’re considering chiropractic care as a way of supporting your health and well-being, book your appointment today.