No doubt you’ve heard the saying, When you consider the alternative, getting old isn’t so bad.” But, if the aging process is creating pain in your body, you are painfully aware that aging is no joke! As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, I give care to many patients suffering from age-related challenges that likely would not have taken place if the primary cause had been addressed earlier in life, especially when it relates to musculoskeletal breakdowns. Pain in the back, neck, hips, knees, and even the feet are commonly the result of undue stresses due to poor posture, improper gait, and repetitive overuse. If we only knew then how our aging body would feel now, eh? However, as they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”
Back pain is number one on the list as the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition to evolve as we age. Age-related back pain is most often produced by spine osteoarthritis, or Spondylosis, a degenerative disorder.
Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by advanced deterioration and weight-bearing pressure on the spine that, over time, undermines discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The specific area(s) and degree of the degenerative process of spondylosis is individual, varying from person to person. It is likely to affect the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back) areas of the spine. Spondylosis symptoms are individual as well, depending on the severity of degeneration, and can extend from low-amplitude pain and numbness to severe sensory loss and muscular atrophy.
Calcium is deposited in the tissues around the vertebrae due to repetitive stresses that negatively affect the cartilage surrounding the joints Adjacent nerves, blood vessels, and soft tissue can be constricted by these calcific deposits, also called bone spurs. This type of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.
Whether or not you are suffering from spondylosis, regular chiropractic care and overall chiropractic management can significantly delay age-related degeneration of your spine. No, “you can’t un-ring a bell” or “turn back the hands of time,” but it’s never too late to give your spine the attention it deserves. Chiropractors are experts when it comes to treatment of the spine. See your chiropractor in Santa Barbara today, for the health of your spine.