Perhaps 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 chiropractor in Santa Barbara, when it comes to musculoskeletal challenges, I see too many age-related breakdowns that likely wouldn’t have taken place if the primary cause had been treated earlier. 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 today, eh? But, as they say, “hindsight is 20-20.”
As you can see from the list areas of pain above, there are plenty of musculoskeletal challenges that can, and often do, develop as we get older, however painful back problems are one of the most prevalent. Back pain that is age-related is most often caused by spine osteoarthritis, or Spondylosis, a degenerative disorder.
Spinal osteoarthritis is caused by increased wear and weight-bearing pressure on the spine that eventually damages discs, joints, and surrounding ligaments. The area of the body and degree of the degenerative process of spondylosis varies from person to person. The regions that are generally affected are the cervical (neck), thoriacic (mid-back), or lumbar (low back). Spondylosisi symptoms very from person to person and depend on the severity of the degeneration, and can range from negligible pain and numbness to extensive 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 These calcific deposits, known as bone spurs, can constrict adjacent nerves, blood vessels and soft tissue. This type of compression is at the root of Spondylosis.
Whether or not you are suffering from spondylosis, regular chiropractic adjustments and overall chiropractic management can considerably slow the aging process of your spine. It may be true that “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. When it comes to treating the spine, chiropractors are experts! See your chiropractor in Santa Barbara today, for the health of your spine.