Concord, NC Cervical Spine Motion, Osteophytes, and Agings Effect
Aging gets blamed for a lot of ills…including limited neck movements. You are not alone if you realize that you don’t rotate your head quite as easily or as far as you used to or that you don’t flex or extend it like you once could. Degenerative discs and vertebrae and associated osteophytes play a role in limiting movement. Pure Chiropractic is ready to help your neck motions with gentle chiropractic treatment!
CERVICAL SPINE MOTION
Physiological motion of the spine sounds like something good, doesn’t it? It does! In the cervical spine, researchers have noted how a consistent sequence of cervical segmental contributions work when the neck moves. This sequence is typical in 80-90% of young healthy persons. But what about the motions in older persons with aging spines? Reduced movement has been connected to aging. A newer study by some inquisitive researchers set out 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 associated with 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 Concord, NC chiropractic friends and family age along with us, we’re not alone in noticing motion changes. Pure Chiropractic delivers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in order to bring as much movement to spinal segments as possible. 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 commonly seen in vertebral bones of the cervical and lumbar spines of elderly folks. Anterior osteophytes continue developing and eventually produce neck pain or back pain. Since osteophytes are so usual and produce such pain, researchers found a way to predict the mean time to onset of pain and the course of degeneration that occurs in these vertebrae based on data from following patients’ osteophytes for 9 years. (2) We know our Concord, NC 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’s an interesting case concerning osteophytes and relieving chiropractic care: Osteophytes may cause the development of 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 Pure Chiropractic
Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Shay Corbin on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his musician patient dealing with neck and back pain.
Schedule your next Concord, NC chiropractic appointment with Pure Chiropractic. Bring your aging spine, your less-than-mobile cervical spine, your immobile neck to our clinic. We can work toward better motion!
