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San Jose Cervical Spine Motion, Osteophytes, and Agings Effect

Aging gets blamed for a lot of ills…including neck motion changes. You are not alone if you discover that you do not rotate your head quite as effortlessly or as far as you once did or that you don’t flex or extend it in the same way as you once could. Degenerative discs and vertebrae and companion osteophytes play a role in limiting movement. Chiropractic Solutions is ready to help your neck movements with gentle chiropractic treatment!

CERVICAL SPINE MOTION

Physiological motion of the spine has a nice ring to it, does it not? It does! In the cervical spine, researchers have noted 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 connected to aging. A newer study by some inquisitive 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 concluded that aging - as demonstrated by the motion patterns seen in elderly asymptomatic persons - was linked to a 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 San Jose chiropractic friends and family age along with us, we’re not alone in seeing motion changes. Chiropractic Solutions offers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in order to allow as much movement to spinal segments as possible. If you see limitations in your neck motions, let us know! We can examine you to find the usual sources that may be the cause.

WHAT COMES WITH AGING THAT LIMITS NECK MOTION: Osteophytes

Osteophytes are commonly seen in vertebral bones of the cervical and lumbar spines of elderly folks. Anterior osteophytes keep growing and eventually provoke neck pain or back pain. Since osteophytes are so usual and lead to such pain, researchers found a way to predict the mean time to onset of pain and the course of degeneration that occurs in these vertebrae based on data from following patients’ osteophytes for 9 years. (2) We know our San Jose 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 is 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 calmed her issues. (3) Chiropractic care works!

CONTACT Chiropractic Solutions

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 experiencing neck and back pain.       

Make your next San Jose chiropractic appointment with Chiropractic Solutions. Bring your aging spine, your less-than-mobile cervical spine, your stiff neck to our clinic. We can work toward improved motion!

 
San Jose cervical spine and neck motion in older person 
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"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."