There are so
many spinal conditions! Your Severna Park chiropractor is in the know. Back And Neck Care Center welcomes them all! For optimal
relief of pain and limited function, the first step is recognition of the condition then arrange its proper
treatment. Back And Neck Care Center is experienced in both! This week’s highlighted
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 commonly 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 old, 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 finger
or toe), 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 key as is a rheumatology referral for evaluation and co-management. (1)
Not only is axial spondyloarthritis missed in medical offices,
but it’s sometimes overlooked in chiropractic practices, too. (2) It’s just not identified as what it is: an immune-mediated
inflammatory disease. Your Severna Park chiropractor is aware and looks for it so that typical lapses of time - sometimes years - will not pass between symptom onset and diagnosis. Being
a back pain condition, axial spondyloarthritis can be diagnosed and co-managed
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 is defined as inflammation of the vertebrae.
Interdisciplinary management with chiropractic
and medical care with rehabilitation frequently works well for
these patients in reducing their symptoms and improving
musculoskeletal function. (3) Treating this condition calls for
gentle care that certified Cox® Technic chiropractic physicians are experienced
in performing. A case of a 30-year-old male first diagnosed at age 12 whose condition, despite medical care, led
to fusion of his sacroiliac joints and his
facet joints in the lumbar and cervical spine. The patient underwent chiropractic spinal manipulation of his thoracic, lumbar, and
cervical spine areas and physical therapy stretches for 12 weeks. His advanced
condition responded well with some improvement in
pain and flexibility. (4) Another male patient who was 34 years old with a 10-year history of AS underwent
18 weeks of chiropractic spinal manipulation and mobilization. This led
to a 90% improvement in a disease activity index and an 85%
improvement in a functional index from start to finish.
(5) Back And Neck Care Center delivers very gentle spinal
manipulation and mobilization in the form of Cox® Technic distraction
decompression. An advanced type of the condition doesn’t
rule out chiropractic care or its resultant
positive outcomes.
CONTACT Back And Neck Care Center
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.