Manchester 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 find 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 did. Degenerative discs and vertebrae and associated osteophytes contribute to limiting movement. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries is ready to help your neck motions with gentle chiropractic treatment!

CERVICAL SPINE MOTION

Physiological motion of the spine sounds like something good, does it not? It does! In the cervical spine, researchers have described 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 movement has been related to aging. A newer study by some inquisitive researchers designed a study to determine if such consistent neck motions in asymptomatic young people were the same in elderly asymptomatic persons. They didn’t. They found that aging - as demonstrated by the motion patterns seen in elderly asymptomatic persons - was associated with 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 Manchester chiropractic friends and family age along with us, we’re not alone in noting motion changes. Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries delivers gentle Cox® Technic treatment in order to allow as much motion to spinal segments as they’ll allow. If you notice limitations in your neck motions, let us know! We can examine you to find the usual culprits that may be the cause.

WHAT COMES WITH AGING THAT LIMITS NECK MOTION: Osteophytes

Osteophytes are frequently seen in elderly folks’ vertebrae of the lumbar and cervical spines. Anterior osteophytes keep developing and eventually bring about neck pain or back pain. Since osteophytes are so common and result in such pain, researchers determined a way to predict the mean time to onset of pain and the course of degeneration that happens in these vertebrae based on information from following patients’ osteophytes for 9 years. (2) We know our Manchester 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 concerning osteophytes and relieving chiropractic care: Osteophytes may cause the development of dysphagia (aka difficulty with swallowing).  A case report detailed the presentation of 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 Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries

Listen to the PODCAST with Dr. Shay Corbin on the Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he explains the effectiveness and gentleness of the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management for his musician patient dealing with neck and back pain.       

Schedule your next Manchester chiropractic appointment with Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries. Bring your aging spine, your less-than-flexible cervical spine, your stiff neck to our clinic. We can work toward improved mobility!

 
Manchester 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."