A 78-year-old man was suffering from increasing pains he described as “achy low back pain” for two years and had progressively worsening pain in his legs that he described as “sharp, electric and crampy.”
An MRI showed severe degenerative lumbar (low back) stenosis.
Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a condition resulting in narrowing of the spinal canal and pressure on the spinal cord and/or the nerve roots.
The man was treated with Chiropractic treatment with added traction for the low back, with the traction force being cautiously increased as the patient responded well to the care.
After two weeks the patient said he was much better. By the end of the intensive phase of care, the patient had significant decrease in the frequency and intensity of his leg symptoms and complete relief from his low back pain.
His improvements were maintained with follow-up visits.
Had the patient taken the usual medical route for this condition, here’s the “treatments” he would have been likely to encounter, with no more than a 62% chance of success:
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen; Analgesics, such as acetaminophen; Cortisone injections into the spinal cord; A lumbar brace; Surgery to increase the opening through which the nerves travel or to fuse spinal segments.
The possible side effects of the surgery include:
“Death, hemorrhage, gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract problems, respiratory complications, cardiac problems, postoperative infections and central nervous system problems.”
For Your Health,
Dr. Salvatore Minicozzi