Chiropractic treatment for degenerative spine

@spadgera Hello again. You and I have had several conversations about spine care. I'm glad you asked this question as many people wonder if a chiropractor can fix a spine issue. There is a lot of risk involved with manipulations to the spine. This is something I have discussed with my physical therapist. Often, an adjustment doesn't hold and goes right back to how it was because the muscles involved in core strength to support the spine or general body alignment are not keeping the spine stabilized and in place. Muscles may be guarding against movement because of an injury. Mt PT would tell me that bones are "dumb" and will go wherever he muscles tell them to go.

When a spine injury happens like a whiplash for example, a disc can be weakened and develop very small cracks in the outer fibrous layer. The inside is like jelly which allows for shock absorption. As we age, the discs naturally dry out and become stiffer, but that can also open up any outer cracks from a previous injury. When a disc is bulging, it has lost some of its strength and may tip the spinal column off center. So the question is what will happen to a disc like this when a chiropractor applies a quick blunt force? Is that an experiment that you really want to try?

I can tell you my experience. I had a bulging disc like this from a whiplash in a traffic accident some 20 years earlier, and one day, I was just stretching my neck while turning my head, and my disc popped, and my head suddenly turned further. On MRI imaging, the disc had lost half its height and I was a quarter inch shorter. That put me on a fast track toward spine surgery because the extruded jelly from the disc causes inflammation, then this causes bone spurs to grow. Soon I had the extruded disc and bone spurs poking and pressing into my spinal cord, and there is no way to fix that except surgery.

I understand why people don't want spine surgery, and thinking a chiropractor will prevent it gives wishful thinking. I would not have chosen spine surgery, but it was either that or become disabled, so I had to embrace the surgery that gave me my life back. Really, all I had to do to rupture my damaged disc was to turn my head. That would not have caused harm if there had never been an injury to the disc, but those are the consequences of injuries and sometimes it takes years for these issues to worsen. I have read other posts from you and you've said that you are 85. At that age, you should be careful, because your life could change in an instant if you are inured. I have taken care of my aged disabled parents and they could not manage on their own and it gets to the stage where they cannot transfer between wheel chairs and furniture, get in and out of bed or use the bathroom without help. If you need to hire help to be able to live at home, it gets very expensive and you loose a lot of quality of life. It's a lot to think about, and I hope that a provider would not engage in something that could be a high risk of injury for someone at your life stage. You may want to discuss this with your other medical providers for your spine care and pain management.

Do you know if you have deteriorating discs in your spine? What have your spine care specialists told you about the condition of your spine?

Thank you for your feedback. I have had one chiropractic session and it was quite forceful and I was concerned. I am active and have good mobility but I do get severe leg pain from time to time. My orthopedic Dr. confirmed that I have a degenerative spine and recommended me to a pain management specialist. He was no help at all.
I certainly don't want to make my situation worse so I appreciate your advice. I have a quality life and I don't want to jeopardize it. I will heed your advice.

Jerry

@spadgera Jerry, Have you tried any physical therapy? One type of physical therapy that has helped me a lot is called myofascial release. Basically, that is stretching that helps break and loosen the tight pattern of tissue that develops from our habits and injuries, and it holds our body and restricts movement. If you have developed a stooped over posture, it could be for several reasons, and tight fascia can contribute to that. Exercise that strengthens the core muscles that hold the spine erect can help. If your pain is the result of arthritis and bone growth compressing the nerves, physical therapy may not totally help that, but in general what improves posture and strength tends to help. My core strength is also really improved by horseback riding. If that was something you wanted to try, there are therapeutic riding centers that use horses for physical therapy. It works because you have to compensate with your back for the motions of the horse which is the same walking motions of your pelvis, but exaggerated a bit. Usually people who don't ride a horse and do that on vacation get sore because of using muscles that they don't normally use. I know from my experience with horses, that it helps my posture a lot and that is important if you have spine issues. I have a horse and like to trail ride just at a walk. A therapeutic riding center usually has someone leading the horse, so you are not just turned loose. It would be a controlled situation.

Here is our Myofascial Release discussion.
— Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
There is a provider search at http://mfrtherapists.com/

Have you consulted another spine specialist for an opinion? I don't know if you are looking for a surgical answer, but there would be many considerations on someone your age and you may or may not be a surgical candidate. Certainly, a surgeon would not want to do something that would increase your pain. I have an older cousin who just had a laminectomy of the lumbar spine at age 80 which involves expanding the space for the spinal cord that was getting compressed, but not removing discs for a fusion. A fusion would be a harder surgery to recover from, but a laminectomy was not a hard recovery for him and he was up and around just a few days after the procedure. After a week, he discontinued his pain medications. You can get different answers from different surgeons. I understand feeling like you've been dismissed, and pain management does help some patients. Do you think surgery would be a solution that you wish to consider? Surgery can make you worse, so you will need to ask a lot of questions if you are considering it.

Would you be willing to try myofascial release and physical therapy to see if it could help you? Often that is a prerequisite for surgery if PT fails to help.

Jennifer

Yes I would willing to try myofascial and I have requested physical therapy and I am waiting for the go head from my insurance company. Everything moves slowly, but I am in no hurry I am very active in the morning but in the afternoon I experience significant pain. Thanks again form your input.

Jerry