The variety of spinal conditions abounds! Your McHenry chiropractor is well aware
of this. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic welcomes them all! For optimal
relief of pain and limited function, the first step is to
recognize the condition then set up its proper
treatment. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is experienced in both! This week’s featured
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 although
approximately 1% of the US population experiences it. Traits
of axial spondyloarthritis include onset before 45 years of
age, morning stiffness, improvement with exercise not rest, alternating
gluteal pain, and positive response to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drug treatment. Other characteristics of axial spondyloarthritis
care enthesitis (inflammation of tendons and ligaments insertion 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. Early diagnosis
is key as is a rheumatology referral for evaluation and co-management. (1)
Not only is axial spondyloarthritis missed in medical practices,
but it is sometimes overlooked in chiropractic practices, too. (2) It’s just not recognized for what it is: an immune-mediated
inflammatory disease. Your McHenry 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-treated
with chiropractic care for effective outcomes.
ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: A SUBSET OF AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS
SPECIFIC TO THE SPINE
One variety 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 decreasing their symptoms and increasing
musculoskeletal function. (3) Treating this condition calls for
gentle care that certified Cox® Technic chiropractic physicians are good
in delivering. 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 favorably with some improvement in
pain and flexibility. (4) Another male patient aged 34
years 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 beginning to end.
(5) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic performs very gentle spinal
manipulation and mobilization in the form of Cox® Technic distraction
decompression. An advanced type of the condition does not
rule out chiropractic care or its resultant
positive outcomes.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
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 managing ankylosing
spondylitis.