Aging gets blamed for a lot of ills…including limited neck
movements. You’re not alone if you realize
that you don’t turn 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 contribute to limiting movement. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office 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 described how a consistent sequence of
cervical segmental contributions function 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 motion has been linked
to aging. A newer study by some curious 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 found that aging - as
demonstrated by the motion patterns seen in elderly asymptomatic persons - was associated with loss of consistent motion patterns as 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 Groton chiropractic friends and family age along
with us, we’re not alone in seeing motion
changes. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office offers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in order to allow as much motion to spinal segments
as they’ll allow. If you see 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 elderly
folks’ vertebrae of the lumbar and cervical spines. Anterior osteophytes keep
developing and eventually provoke neck pain
or back pain. Since osteophytes are so common and produce such pain, researchers found a way to predict the mean
time to onset of pain and the path of degeneration that happens
in these vertebrae based on information from following patients’ osteophytes
for 9 years. (2) We know our Groton 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 involving osteophytes and relieving chiropractic
care: Osteophytes may contribute to patients’
developing dysphagia (aka difficulty with swallowing). A case report presented a 53-year-old woman with a sore throat, difficulty swallowing solid foods,
and acid reflux. Her imaging revealed anterior osteophytes as well
as kyphosis (abnormal curvature) of her cervical spine and thoracolumbar
scoliosis, any of which could contribute to her dysphagia. Six
months of chiropractic care relieved her issues. (3) Chiropractic care works!
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to the PODCAST
with Dr. Shay Corbin on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr.
Michael Johnson as he explains the effective, gentle treatment with the Cox® Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management for his musician patient dealing with
neck and back pain.
Make your next Groton
chiropractic appointment with Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office. Bring your aging spine, your
less-than-mobile cervical spine, your stiff neck
to our clinic. We can work toward better mobility!
"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the
DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by
Dr. James M. Cox I."