Spondylolisthesis. It’s one of those big
spinal condition words that takes some
practice to pronounce, and one of those spinal conditions that
chiropractic can ably assist in diagnosing,
managing, treating, and referring if necessary for other forms of
treatment or testing. Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. knows that the
gentler the treatment, the better the outcome; the more stable the spondylolisthesis,
the more responsive to conservative care. Some of the more
recent studies on this spinal condition share hope for pain
relief to those in Auburn with spondylolisthesis.
WHAT SPONDYLOLISTHESIS IS
A spinal condition that occurs when one
vertebral body (one of the spinal bones) slips forward or backward
on the adjacent vertebral body resulting
in back and/or leg pain,
spondylolisthesis isn’t all that uncommon.
About 20% of the adult population deals with
it. Low back pain is its companion. Degenerative
spondylolisthesis is most often diagnosed at the L4/5 lumbar spine
level in adulthood. Non-degenerative spondylolisthesis typically affects the L5/S1 level. (1) Researchers analyzed
the natural history of degenerative spondylolisthesis and its associated
slippage by looking through published studies. They uncovered
that over a 4 to 25 year timespan, 12% to 20% developed
degenerative spondylolisthesis while 12%-34% of existing degenerative spondylolisthesis
progressed. It’s valuable to note that 2/3 of spondylolisthesis
patients’ slips didn’t progress. (2) Non-progressing is good! Even
degenerative is good as it often responds to care. Your Auburn chiropractor is ready to help
with Auburn spondylolisthesis!
CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT OF SPONDYLOLISTHESIS
In our Auburn chiropractic clinic, spondylolisthesis
is treated with the conservative, non-surgical Cox® Technic
System. Published studies, case reports, and clinical data have revealed
treatment outcomes. In a case study of a patient with both an
extruded L4/5 disc herniation and a spondylolytic spondylolisthesis at L5/S1,
pain was reported to decrease from a 9 to 1 on a
10 point scale in only 9 visits over 4 weeks of care. At 10 years
follow up, the patient stayed stable. (3) In another case report
of a US Marine Veteran, the patient noted a 25% reduction
in pain and 22% decrease in disability in 10 treatments over 2 months leading the researchers to conclude that this care may well be a safe
and effective approach. (4) Then, in a 1000 cases study with data from
31 different chiropractic clinics, L4/5 spondylolisthesis took
more visits and time than L5/S1 spondylolisthesis to experience
maximal clinical improvement. The mean number of days to maximal improvement
was 29 days and 12 visits regardless of the condition. Overall,
95% of spondylolisthesis patients experienced maximal clinical improvement
in less than 90 days. The gentler the treatment the more
beneficial with spondylolisthesis. (5) Bracing spondylolisthesis (and
other chronic spinal conditions like spondylosis and disc degeneration)
is a typical component of the non-surgical, conservative treatment
plan to enhance function and reduce pain. (6)
Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C. will share the complete treatment plan – nutrition, exercise,
bracing, treatment - with you.
CONTACT Dr. Le's Chiropractic & Wellness, L.L.C.
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Lee Hazen on The
Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he
describes treatment of
degenerative spondylolisthesis with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain
Management.
Whether you can say spondylolisthesis or
not, be sure to schedule your Auburn chiropractic
appointment soon get relief!