Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for a geriatric patient with low back pain and comorbidities of cancer, compression fractures, and osteoporosis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this report is to describe the response of a geriatric patient with low back pain and a history of leukemia, multiple compression fractures, osteoporosis, and degenerative joint disease using Activator chiropractic technique. CASE REPORT: An 83-year-old man who is the primary caretaker for his disabled wife had low back pain after lifting her into a truck. The patient had a history of leukemia, multiple compression fractures, osteoporosis, and degenerative joint disease. His Revised Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire was 26%, with a 10/10 pain rating at its worst on the Numeric Pain Scale. The patient presented with a left head tilt, right high shoulder, and right high ilium with anterior translation and flexion of the torso and spasm and tenderness from the lower thoracic spine to lumbar spine. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient was cared for using Activator Methods protocol. After 8 treatments, the patient was stable and remained stable for 4 months without spasm or tenderness in his spine. His Revised Oswestry score dropped to 6%, with a 4/10 Numeric Pain Scale pain rating when at its worst; and the patient reported being able to take care of his wife. CONCLUSION: The findings of this case suggest that Activator-assisted spinal manipulative therapy had a positive effect on low back pain and function in an elderly patient with a complex clinical history.

Chiropractic management of a veteran with lower back pain associated with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophy and degenerative disk disease.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to report the response of chiropractic care of a geriatric veteran with degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 74-year-old man presented with low back pain (LBP) and loss of feeling in his lower extremities for 3 months. The LBP was of insidious onset with a 10/10 pain rating on the numeric pain scale (NPS) and history of degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypertrophy. Oswestry questionnaire was 44% and health status questionnaire was 52%, which were below average for his age. The patient presented with antalgia and severe difficulty with ambulation and thus used a walker. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Chiropractic care included Activator Methods protocol. Two weeks into treatment, he reported no back pain; and after 4 treatments, he was able to walk with a cane instead of a walker. The NPS decreased from a 10/10 to a 0/10, and his Revised Oswestry score decreased from 44/100 to 13.3/100. His Health Status Questionnaire score increased 25 points to 77/100, bringing him from below average for his age to above average for his age. Follow-up with the patient at approximately 1 year and 9 months showed an Oswestry score of 10/100 and a Health Status Questionnaire score of 67/100, still above average for his age. CONCLUSION: The findings in this case study showed that Activator-assisted spinal manipulative therapy had positive subjective and objective results for LBP and ambulation in a geriatric veteran with degenerative disk disease and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.