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Spinal Stenosis: Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture
Written By: Dr. Sue Aery - Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture | Issue: 2020/12 - December
Spinal stenosis has been a topic of conversation more and more lately. My patients are asking for explanations and help with this painful phenomenon.
Spinal stenosis has been a topic of conversation more and more lately.
My patients are asking for explanations and help with this painful phenomenon.
A textbook definition of SS reads as this: “An abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness or weakness in the arms or legs. Severe symptoms may include loss of bladder control, loss of bowel control, or sexual dysfunction.”
Spinal stenosis is found mostly in people over 50, as the cause is usually related to some form of arthritis, whether it is degenerative, autoimmune or traumatic in origin.
The natural approach to dealing with SS tends to be quite different from the “mainstream” medical approach.
Most medical approaches focus on the bony confinement of the spinal tissues and often the go to is surgery, as most pharmaceutical methods are not enough to dispel the pain.
Unfortunately, what is often overlooked is the overall inflammation that prevails due to constant irritation of the very sensitive tissues.
Surgery can be a fleeting reprieve from the pain associated with SS. As time goes on, if the inflammation itself is ignored, the same process will recur and continue in the original area and often new areas as well, causing the very same cycle of pain all over again.
With a natural approach to spinal stenosis, I help my patients address more of the actual inflammation instead of just the restrictive canals pressing on the nerves and spinal cord. Once the inflammation is reduced, the pain can lessen on a more consistent basis, giving the patient more room for progress and improved lifestyle.
Arthritis is known to be an inflammatory process so it is definitely treatable through natural means, nutritional changes and diet and exercise changes. Some natural approaches include acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, noninvasive stem cell activation, anti-inflammatory practices, massage therapy and nutraceutical protocols.