Chiropractic Care of Inflammatory Concord, NC Back Pain
The variety of spinal conditions abounds! Your Concord, NC chiropractor is in the know. Pure Chiropractic welcomes them all! For optimal relief of pain and limited function, the initial step is to recognize the condition then arrange its proper treatment. Pure Chiropractic is experienced in both! This week’s featured condition is inflammatory back pain, axial spondyloarthritis, and the spine-specific type, ankylosing spondylitis.
AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS
Axial spondyloarthritis is an inflammatory back pain condition. It’s often missed as a cause of chronic low back pain while approximately 1% of the US population experiences it. Traits of axial spondyloarthritis consist of onset before 45 years of age, morning stiffness, improvement with exercise not rest, alternating gluteal pain, and positive response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment. Other features of axial spondyloarthritis involve enthesitis (inflammation of tendons and ligaments as they insert into bone), dactylitis (inflammation of a toe or finger), peripheral arthritis, extra-articular appearances (like psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, or uveitis), positive for the human leukocyte antigen B27, and a family history of the disease. Prompt diagnosis is vital as is a rheumatology referral for evaluation and cooperative care. (1) Not only is axial spondyloarthritis missed in medical offices, but it’s sometimes overlooked in chiropractic offices, too. (2) It’s just not identified as what it is: an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Your Concord, NC chiropractor is aware and looks for it so that typical lapses of time - sometimes years - will not go by between symptom onset and diagnosis. Being a back pain condition, axial spondyloarthritis can be diagnosed and co-treated with chiropractic care for effective outcomes.
ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A SUBSET OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS SPECIFIC TO THE SPINE
One type of axial spondyloarthritis is ankylosing spondylitis. Spondylitis means inflammation of the vertebrae. Interdisciplinary management with medical, chiropractic and rehab often works well for these patients in reducing their symptoms and improving musculoskeletal function. (3) Treating this condition requires gentle care that certified Cox® Technic chiropractic physicians are experienced in performing. A case of a 30-year-old male first diagnosed when he was 12 years old whose condition, despite medical care, led to fusion of his sacroiliac joints as well as facet joints in the lumbar and cervical spine. The patient was treated with chiropractic spinal manipulation of his thoracic, lumbar, and cervical spine areas and physical therapy stretches for 12 weeks. His advanced condition reacted favorably with some improvement in pain and flexibility. (4) Another male patient who was 34 years old with a 10-year history of AS was treated for 18 weeks with chiropractic spinal manipulation and mobilization. This resulted in a 90% improvement in a disease activity index and an 85% improvement in a functional index from start to finish. (5) Pure Chiropractic performs very gentle spinal manipulation and mobilization in the form of Cox® Technic distraction decompression. An advanced state of the condition doesn’t rule out chiropractic care or its resultant positive outcomes.
CONTACT Pure Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Gabriel Monterrubio on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. He describes his use of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for treating ankylosing spondylitis.
Set up your Concord, NC chiropractic appointment soon. All types of spine-related conditions are welcome!
