Know More about Ageing Spine

Spine discomforts are a common problem in middle aged people.  Overweight and lack of exercise are the main reasons for this in addition to the age factor.  Age is a strong factor that causes different irregularities to the spine.  

Normally the spine is not straight, but a little curved.  Its curved nature is helpful to its work as a shock absorber.  During the life time of a person, spine undergoes a lot of movements and suffers a lot of pressure as the part of day-today activities.  Degeneration of the spine is a natural activity during the aging process; it can be considered as the ‘wear and tear’ of that part after serving a long time.

Symptoms of Ageing Spine

For most of the people, after the middle age the ageing symptoms begin to appear visibly.  In this process, the spine may be affected by some of the following problems:

• Difficulty in bending and even in walking.
• Difficulty in lifting heavy objects.
• Unable to remain in a position (either in sitting position or in standing position) for a long time.
• Feeling stiffness to the spine.
• Loss of bone density.
• Difficulty in getting up from a sitting position.

People will have some of the above difficulties for their spine after the middle age (after 40 years of age), but individual experiences will differ as per the body health and circumstances.

Different Possibilities Associated with Ageing Spine

When you feel so many inconveniences with the spine, you can be sure that these may be because of some disorders that affected the spine.  The usual disorders associated with the spine are:

• DISC DEGENERATION:  The spine consists of bones and discs.  As the spine ages, the discs becomes more fibrous and inflexible.  The discomfort causes when this inflexible disc put more pressure on adjacent nerve roots or spinal cord.  The main symptom of disc degeneration is the pain in the back including buttocks and thighs.
• OSTEOPOROSIS:  It is most common form of arthritis and it occurs because of the decreased bone mass. It will progress without showing any symptoms and you will know about this condition, only when a fracture occurs.  A humped back is an evidence of severe osteoporosis.
• SPINAL STENOSIS: It is the narrowing of one or more areas in the spine.  This development can put pressure on the spinal cord and on the nerves, resulting in pain.  You may feel pain in the legs, neck, shoulders, arms and back.  In extreme condition, spinal stenosis will cause problems with urinary bladder and bowel functioning.
• SPINAL OSTEOARTHRITIS: This arthritic condition will affect the vertebral facet joints making it painful to do the normal functions such as bending and twisting.  In this condition, the vertebrae begin to rub together making the movement painful.  Severe condition of spinal osteoarthritis may cause the affected disc to collapse.

Watch a video below by Wonder Woman about Yoga Practices that help to prevent spine from ageing:

Treatment for the Ageing Spine

Different types of treatments are available for ageing spine, but the exact treatment can be decided only after evaluating the individual condition and overall health condition of the patients.  Pain medications, injection therapies and physical therapy are common treatment for spine problems, but in severe cases surgery also will be recommended.



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