Spinal stenosis affects gait…and today they’re working with “smart
shoes” to track gait abnormalities and connected
transformed walking patterns! Our Pflugerville chiropractic
patients experiencing spinal stenosis often remark
that they walk differently. That makes sense! Pflugerville Wellness Center can help alleviate
Pflugerville back pain and the related effects of spinal stenosis.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND ITS SIDE EFFECTS
Older folks are ever
more affected 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 displayed improvement in locomotion.
(1) Yet surgery does not 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 underwent decompression surgery to see
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 change in sagittal vertical axis, but there
was significant change in spatiotemporal parameters. (2) Cox®
flexion distraction treatment produced 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 beneficial to understand
that lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patient’s static spine and pelvic posture are
associated with their symptoms. A new study delved
into the subject of how dynamic alignment
of the spine and pelvic might be related 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 resulted
in decreased daily-life lumbar function. (4) Pflugerville Wellness Center
aims to improve the quality of life for our Pflugerville
spinal stenosis patients and values 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 choose
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 Pflugerville Wellness Center and outcome.
SPINAL STENOSIS AND BACK PAIN AND SMART SHOES!
To ensure as
good an outcome as viable, new tech may come
to the rescue. With lumbar spinal stenosis come gait
abnormalities like decreased gait speed and unevenness due to muscle weakness and pain in the lower extremities. Don’t
worry though. There are “smart shoes” to help. Smart shoes are wearable sensors that can sense
gait variations quicker, easier, and cheaper. (6) In the meantime while their accuracy and cost-effectiveness are analyzed - since
smart shoes may not be for everyone - the old fashioned in-clinic
tests remain effective, and Pflugerville Wellness Center knows them well!
Find out during your exam!
CONTACT Pflugerville Wellness 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 improve
balance.
Schedule your Pflugerville chiropractic
appointment today to visit us especially if you find
your gait being “off” and/or experience back pain. Spinal stenosis
may be the offender, and Pflugerville Wellness Center knows how to rein it
in!