Montreal Cervical Spine Motion, Osteophytes, and Agings Effect
Aging gets blamed for a lot of ills…including neck motion changes. You are not alone if you find that you do not rotate your head quite as easily or as far as you used to or that you don’t flex or extend it in the same way as you once did. Degenerative discs and vertebrae and companion osteophytes play a role in limiting movement. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic is here to help your neck movements with gentle chiropractic treatment!
CERVICAL SPINE MOTION
Physiological motion of the spine has a nice ring to it, does it not? It does! In the cervical spine, researchers have noted how a consistent sequence of cervical segmental contributions function when the neck moves. This sequence is common in 80-90% of young healthy persons. But what about the motions in older persons with aging spines? Decreased motion has been linked to aging. A recent study by some inquisitive researchers designed a study to determine if such consistent neck motions in elderly asymptomatic persons resembled the motions in asymptomatic young persons. They didn’t. They concluded that aging - as demonstrated by the motion patterns seen in elderly asymptomatic persons - was linked to a loss of consistent motion patterns that were seen in young asymptomatic persons. For example, the consistent pattern in young asymptomatic persons was found in only 10% of the older persons at T1 and 0% at T2. (1) As our Montreal chiropractic friends and family age along with us, we’re not alone in seeing motion changes. Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic delivers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in order to bring as much motion to spinal segments as they’ll allow. If you notice limitations in your neck motions, let us know! We can examine you to find the usual culprits that may be the cause.
WHAT COMES WITH AGING THAT LIMITS NECK MOTION: Osteophytes
Osteophytes are frequently seen in vertebral bones of the cervical and lumbar spines of elderly folks. Anterior osteophytes continue growing and eventually bring about neck pain or back pain. Since osteophytes are so usual and result in such pain, researchers determined a way to predict the mean time to onset of pain and the path of degeneration that occurs in these vertebrae based on data from following patients’ osteophytes for 9 years. (2) We know our Montreal chiropractic patients with osteophytes are not as curious as to how long ago their osteophytes started, but rather how our chiropractic care can help! Here is an interesting case involving osteophytes and relieving chiropractic care: Osteophytes may contribute to patients’ developing dysphagia (aka difficulty with swallowing). A case report detailed the presentation of a 53-year-old woman with a sore throat, difficulty swallowing solid foods, and acid reflux. Her imaging showed anterior osteophytes as well as kyphosis (abnormal curvature) of her cervical spine and thoracolumbar scoliosis, any of which could impact her dysphagia. Six months of chiropractic care calmed her issues. (3) Chiropractic care works!
CONTACT Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Shay Corbin on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his musician patient experiencing neck and back pain.
Schedule your next Montreal chiropractic appointment with Dr. Hoang's Chiropractic Clinic. Bring your aging spine, your less-than-mobile cervical spine, your stiff neck to our clinic. We can work toward better mobility!
